


The Thunder of Dragons

by NatRambles



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Creature Fic, Creature Hermione Granger, Creature Inheritance, Dracken, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2019-11-07 00:25:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 48,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17950082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatRambles/pseuds/NatRambles
Summary: When Hermione left the orphanage where she was raised to visit Harry at Grimmauld, she expected it to be a perfectly normal visit. What she got instead was a creature inheritance and a whole history she knew nothing about, but has no choice but to accept. Eventual Hermione/Multiple.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note, this is not going to be one of those fics that has a huge over arching theme or villain. This is very much a... walk through life with these characters who are doing life things. I doubt we will ever have a definite "ending" per say, though I suppose there will be natural stopping points if you don't want to continue.
> 
> This is also my first fanfiction... so have some mercy in the critical reviews.
> 
> I can't guarantee when I will be updating. Right now I have four chapters completely written and beta'd. I will do my best to update regularly, but I'm a stay at home mom with five children. Life happens, and I don't apologize for that. Please note though, this fic will never be abandoned without notice. I will always continue to update, just sometimes it might be slower than you expect.
> 
> This fic was highly inspired by Starlight Massacre's Rise of the Drackens. It's slash Harry/Multiples and I adored it, but I spent the entire time reading it being like "What would happen if Hermione was a dracken?" So I decided to write it!
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful beta AlaskanAppaloosa on fanfiction.net! You have been an invaluable resource when writing this, and gave me the confidence to not only continue writing, but to post this as well. Thank you so much.
> 
> Don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Hermione rose from her bed with a groan, peering around in the dull morning light. A sigh escaped her as she realized her dream of Hogwarts had been just that. A dream. Instead, the dreary walls of St. Catherines home for young girls greeted her.

It wasn't that Hermione didn't appreciate having a place to call home while she wasn't at Hogwarts. She did, really. But the orphanage she had grown up in after her parents had died in a car accident, was in a word? Dull. When compared to Hogwarts, it could even be called depressing.

When Hermione had gotten her letter from Hogwarts, her head mistress had been unsurprised, and let Hermione know there were several other girls in the home who had gotten letters in previous years. Try as Hermione might though, none of them had been particularly interested in friendship. It was hard, coming home here and knowing that there were other magicals, yet she still didn't fit in. She missed Harry and Ron. She missed classes. She missed the  _library._  Her community library just couldn't compare to Hogwarts' shelves and shelves of magical books.

With another deep sigh, Hermione hauled herself out of bed. She had always been an early riser, and it was a benefit when one was competing with 30 other girls for hot water in the morning shower. She grabbed her toiletries bag and headed into the shower room, humming a little tune to herself as she passed the other beds in her dormitory. One particularly surly girl threw a pillow at the interruption of her sleep, but in the haze of sleepiness, hit only her bed post. A quick giggle was all Hermione allowed herself before she left the room.

At 16, Hermione was just barely under the age the orphanage still allowed. At 17 all girls were turned out or chose to leave on their own. Hermione was only a few weeks from her birthday, and today, her sizable brain was taken up once again with the problem of what she would do after she no longer had a home to come home to.

' _I suppose to could ask Harry if I could stay with him at Grimmauld.. Or maybe Mrs. Weasley would let me stay at the Burrow.."_ As soon as Hermione had  _that_  thought, however, she shook her head. No. The Burrow was a lovely place, but close proximity to Ron 24/7 did not sound like a fun prospect. Early last year, Ron had decided that they should date, and took it upon himself at every opportunity to ask Hermione to be his future wife. But somehow being told "I don't know... it just seems right. You're ... Hermione." Just didn't sit well with her as a good enough reason to commit to someone she had nothing in common with. Unfortunately, Ron didn't see it this way, and persisted in dogging her every step with his puppy dog eyes and "C'mon 'Mione"'s. It was infuriating.

Harry on the other hand... A quiet smile came to her face as she thought of her bespectacled friend. When Harry had moved in with Sirius earlier that year, Hermione had been delighted. The defeat of Voldemort by Dumbledore had left Sirius free to come out of hiding and claim his god son properly. Hmmm... No. Grimmauld wasn't really an option either. Harry and Sirius were just relearning how to be a family. The last thing they needed was her intruding on them long term. Already she had a week booked to stay at Grimmauld with Harry, starting tomorrow. Hermione knew her friend would happily open his home to her for a longer period of time, but she refused to be a bother to him.

Putting the issue from her mind for the moment, Hermione turned to getting her unruly hair clean.  _If only I was allowed potions here, this would be so much easier..."_

Her shower went quickly, and before Hermione knew it, she was back in her dorm, dressed and ready to go. The other girls were just starting to wake, groaning and stretching in bed.

"Good morning everyone! Better get moving, Haversham is going to be making her rounds soon." More groans met Hermiones announcement, but most of the girls got moving a little faster. The headmistress, Mrs. Haversham, was a hard woman, and strict on rising early and being productive with your entire day. Summer break from school was no exception.

Hermione occupied herself with brushing her mane of hair while watching the others get ready. She wasn't particularly close with the other girls in her home. Those who were magical were older, and those her own age thought she was snooty for getting a scholarship to go to a 'fancy boarding school'. So mostly Hermione kept to herself.

It didn't take long for the girls to get their dorm into proper shape for Havershams inspection, and at 7:00 on the dot, the Headmistress herself opened the door to the dorm. Looking around with a grim face that gave her the appearance of a general inspecting her troops, Haversham pulled out the clipboard that never left her side and started to bark out assignments for the day.

Most were chores assignments, but one was different today.

"Granger, you are to meet with the board at 11:00 today. Don't be late, and dress nicely."

A puzzled look crossed Hermiones face before she shook it away. There was no use worrying about it, whatever the board had to say to her, fretting about it wouldn't change a thing.

The next hours were spent doing basic chores, breakfast, straightening the kitchen, and in Hermiones case, hiding under the stairwell reading a book. The chiming of the old antique clock told her it was 10:30 and time to get read for her meeting. Slipping a long navy maxi skirt over her cut off shorts, Hermione walked to the board room and knocked on the heavy oak doors.

Mrs. Haversham opened them to let her in, and Hermione could barely contain her curiosity. Never before had she seen inside this particular room. It was one of the few that was absolutely off limits to the girls who occupied the house. She was very disappointed to find that the room that had occupied her 10 year old imagination so often, contained only one long wooden table, and 15 chairs around it, all occupied by people significantly older than herself.

With a smile one of the elderly ladies indicated her to sit and make herself comfortable in the chair at the end of the table. What followed was generally what Hermione had been expecting. Questions about her plans after leaving the home ("I'm not sure yet Sir."), questions about how she found her experience there ("I'm very grateful that I have a home Ma'am. There are many who do not."), and the board giving her general information about help they could provide for her after she left. None of this was surprising. It all seemed perfectly routine, practiced even. But then... something changed.

The tone of the conversation grew heavy. "Ms. Granger. As I'm sure you're aware, your birthday is swiftly approaching."  _Well of course it is. Isn't that why we've been having this conversation?_  Rather than give the snarky remark, Hermione nodded, smiling softly. "Yes Sir."

The old man at the end of the table peered down at her, seeming to size her up before saying in a low wheezy voice "We require all girls to be here at the house on the night of their 17th birthday. So we can give them a proper... send off. You understand, of course, that this will mean coming home for the day."

Hermione nodded, having already known this for many years. All girls got a sending off party the night before they were turned out into the world. "Yes Sir. I will be back."

"Very good. You may leave, Ms. Granger." Hermione gave her thanks and walked out, ready to face the rest of the day. Shaking her head, Hermione set about filling her day with packing, the last of her chores, and of course, more reading. Soon it was time for lights out, and Hermione was asleep before her head hit the pillow, consumed with dreams of the knight bus, Grimmauld place, and Hogwarts.

The next morning bloomed bright and clear, and Hermione bounded out of bed. Throwing her hair back into a simple braid, and changing into a pair of cut off jean shorts and a pink t-shirt was all she needed to be ready for her 7:00 appointment on the knight bus. Her suitcase was already packed, including all her school things, and her precious wand. Hermione had been expressly forbidden from carrying it around at school, but it was in the front pocket of the hand me down brown suitcase she carried with her, ready to be grabbed as soon as she finally got back to the wizarding world.

With a quick goodbye to Mrs. Haversham, who solemnly reminded her to be sure to be back on her birthday, Hermione was off. The knight bus stopped briefly in front of the home before whizzing off into the streets, bound for Grimmauld place.

As soon as her feet touched the ground outside of Grimmauld, Harry was there giving her a hug. The feeling of safety that always accompanied his presence was comforting and felt like coming home. "Hello Harry, how has your summer been?"

With a grin, Harry pulled away and inspected her at arms length. "My summer was fine. You're to skinny again. We need to get more food into you."

Hermione laughed and shook her head. Ever since Harry had put on a couple of feet worth of height, and gained a couple stone worth of weight, he had all sorts of comments about how skinny Hermione was. "You know me Harry. Eat like a bird and all that jazz."

He grumbled at her before giving her another hug."We'll see about that 'Mione. How was your summer?"

"Boring as always, I couldn't wait to come see you! I missed the wizarding world."

Harry nodded knowingly, having very much missed it as well when he was forced to go back to his aunt and uncles every summer. "You know you're always welcome here..."

Hermione automatically nodded to her friends assertion, even as she rejected it. "I could never do that to you Harry. You've just moved in with Sirius, I already feel I am a bother being here for the week!" Harry made obvious sounds of disagreement as they pulled open the door to Grimmauld, and seemed set to argue, but was cut off by his god father swooping in to give Hermione a hug.

"Hello Kitten! Welcome back!"

Hermione smiled brightly at Sirius, giggling a bit at his effusive happiness. "Hi Sirius, how has your summer been?"

"Oh, pretty interesting. I moved in with this new roommate. He kinda smells, but he's a right good cook when he wants to be!" A mischievous look flashed in Sirius' eyes as Harry protested that he did not smell, "thank you very much!" Hermione laughed and played along, happily teasing Harry, falling into an old routine with Sirius.

The evening continued with stories of Harry and Sirius' adventures learning to live together. Hermiones sides hurt from laughing so much, and for the first time all summer, she felt truly at home.

It was late in the night before they finally retired, and sleep came quickly to the exhausted young woman.

She woke at her normal early hour by a thin sliver of light peeking through the closed curtains of her room. But when Hermione opened her eyes fully... she was puzzled. The world was.. sharper. She could see every speck of dust in the air. Every miniscule crack in the old hardwood floor. The wealth of detail was overwhelming.

Certain it was just an aberration from her being back in the magical world, Hermione walked to her mirror... And screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to AlaskanAppaloosa, my wonderful and amazing beta!
> 
> Don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Within moments Harry was at Hermiones door, throwing it open, wand drawn ready to defend his friend. But instead of an unknown trespasser, he was met with flashing fangs and pure white wings.

"Harry! Get back!" Sirius jumped between the two young people, wand raised high. "Ok Kitten. It's ok. You need to calm down. Please."

Hermione for her part was completely overwhelmed. "What is wrong with me?" She screeched, her... wings? Fluttering in her fear.

"Kitten. I don't know how, but... I think, you're a Dracken..."

Hermione didn't give him the opportunity to finish his sentence before yelling "What the hell is a Dracken?!"

Sirius watched her warily for a moment before replying "Drackens are a humanoid dragon species. They stay unactivated and hidden until their 17th birthday when they come into their inheritance. Take a peek in the mirror Kitten. You're beautiful."

With a small shudder, Hermione did as he instructed, turning to peer into the mirror.

In her rush to sleep the night before, she had only put on a long oversized t-shirt, which gave her the ability to examine her entire body quite closely. Hermione took a deep breath and started with her face. Her general facial structure seemed unchanged, retaining her slim, high cheekboned structure, and her eyes were her normal rich hazel, but that was where things got strange. Across her forehead, cheeks, and nose were small scales. A wandering hand proved they were soft and smooth, blending almost seasmlessly with her more human skin. Her hair seemed to have tamed itself down in the night, falling in soft ringlets rather than a ball of frizz, but to her relief it's warm chestnut color remained unchanged. Another deep breath was needed when she moved down her body.

Most of her skin was covered by the white scales, but by far the biggest change in her own eyes... was the wings. Beautiful white wings spanned across her back, fluttering slightly at her perusal as if she had no proper control of them.  _Well, I suppose I don't._ With a tentative hand she stroked them, gasping at the sensation.  _Talk about erogenous zones..._  With a start Hermione noticed her changed hands for the first time.

Sharp claws marked the end of her slim fingers, obviously quite deadly. Running her tongue across her teeth confirmed her fear that they were changed as well. Pointed fangs now sat where blunted teeth used to sit. Her slim body seemed to her to be more stream lined and muscular, and yet, also more feminine. Her breast and hips had subtly grown, but didn't seem out of proportion with her small 5' 2" frame.

With a deep seated groan she turned back to Sirius and Harry. "How?"

Sirius, still very much on guard, started to speak. "When and how did the orphanage tell you your parents died kitten?"

"When I was only days old, and in a car accident."

"I think the more likely story is your parents were killed by poachers." A chill run down Hermiones spine at these words. "You see, dracken scales are a highly valuable potions ingredient. Poachers will often target dracken families with chicks, capturing the babies and raising them for slaughter when they reach their inheritance. Drackens can birth both magical and dracken children, so until the day of your 17th birthday, they wouldn't be sure which you are. What I don't understand is why they let you go."

Hermione shuddered, then whispered. "My birthday isn't for another couple of weeks. They asked me to come home for the night..." Suddenly, things started to fall into place for Hermione. The number of girls who had gone missing after their 17th birthday. The orphans had assumed they went into the wizarding world... but what if that wasn't the case. What if the wizarding world assumed they left into the muggle world, and they were lost in the cracks between the two systems?

"Why allow us to leave at all?" The words were whispered to herself, but Sirius answered.

"I suspect it's the quill. All Dracken babies are by nature, magical. And the quill at Hogwarts records every magical birth in Great Britain. I assume the poachers didn't want you being missed and have questions being brought back on them." Hermione nodded before whipping around to meet his gaze.

"My parents?" Sirius shook his head sadly.

"Dracken parents don't rest Hermione. If their chicks are stolen, Dracken parents tear apart the world looking for them, and the first place they would have looked is Hogwarts. No Hermione. The more likely scenario is your parents were killed when you were stolen."

Logically, Hermione knew this was true. Her analytical brain had always accepted that there was a good chance that she would never find her parents. But the small, quiet voice that all orphaned children had whispered  _"Maybe they're out there. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe they still love you."_  many many nights while she lay in the hard beds at the home. Quieting that voice would take time.

"I see." Turning back to the mirror, Hermione sighed. "What now? It's not like I can go out like this!"

With a chuckle Sirius explained to her that by focusing and reconnecting with the human inside her, she would be able to turn back to a human form.

About 15 minutes later, Hermione had managed to clear her mind enough to withdraw her wings and get her scales to reform into smooth skin. "Wait. Sirius, how do you know so much about this?"

A grin passed over his face, reminding her of his doggy counterpart. "I had a friend growing up. His family were all drackens. He let me into their lives, and a bit into their secrets too. Boy am I ever glad!"

"What am I going to do?" The whispered words revealed just how scared this new change had made the young woman.

Instantly both Harry and Sirius were giving her bear hugs. "First off Kitten, we're gonna get you something to eat. Then we're gonna call Dumbledore. Hopefully he knows how to contact the Dracken counsel, maybe they will have some answers for us."

Breakfast was a simple affair, cold cereal and milk. Hermione had to actively try not to gag as she ate. Three bites into her meal she pushed it away, murmuring about how she would rather eat anything else. With a small smile Sirius went to the fridge and pulled out a steak, putting it down in front of Hermione after only a small heating charm. After a short moment of hesitation, she dug in with her hands, eating every bite of the steak and licking her fingers clean before looking over at Harrys shocked face and blushing. "Sorry... it must be a Dracken thing."

Harry waved her off, "It's ok, it's just... strange I guess. It's not often you get to see such a little woman tear into a steak like it's her job." He swept his hand through his thick hair, shoving it all away from his face. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're still my amazing best friend... but wow Hermione. This is all just... wow."

A mirthless chuckle left Hermione's mouth. "Yeah. Tell me about it."

Sirius, having left to floo call Dumbledore, returned to the kitchen to the two friends awkwardly staring at their dishes, silent except for the scrape of Harry's spoon against his bowl.

"Well this is the most dreary I've seen you guys since the war. C'mon pups, Dumbleore will be here in a couple of hours. Let's go see what the library has to say about drackens. I mean. It's the  _Black_  library. There must be something in there about drackens."

Hermione visibly perked up at the idea of being able to peruse the massive library on the third floor. She had been longing to dig into it for awhile now, but Sirius had had to spend most of the summer dismantling the anti-muggleborn hexes on the books and the library itself.

A happy sigh escaped Hermiones mouth as Sirius pushed open the heavy double doors to the library. "Well kitten, the books are sorted by category, so it shouldn't be to hard to find the books on magical creatures." Pointing to the left, Sirius sighed "I did that side recently. It's not in there. Sorry, between the shelves and shelves of books, I've forgotten where most things reside. It's not in those two shelves. Everything else is fair game. Split up, and holler if you find it."

Hermione and Harry both nodded, the former visibly more excited to be diving into the stacks than the later.

Walking through the shelves of books, Hermione could almost pretend that things were still, well, normal. The smell of old books was still comforting and safe. Her eyes were still drawn to the thick spines, her brain churning at the interesting titles. It seemed that she was currently walking through a section on arithmancy. The subject had been one of her favourites in school, and it took her substantially more time than it should have to move on, because her hand kept drifting up to bring a tome down and examine it.

Hermione hadn't even made it through the next section, History of Magic, before Harry called out "I found it!" With a soft regretful sigh, she replaced the ancient first edition book on early wizarding communities on the shelf before going to join Harry. It took significant effort on her part to keep her eyes on the ground and away from the books, and she got so caught up in the pattern on the worn green and gold patterned carpet that she nearly ran into Harry.

"Oh! I'm sorry Harry! I just... didn't want to get distracted by..." With a wave of her hands, Hermione indicated the entire library and her friend just laughed, knowing just how much effort it must have taken.

"Such self control you are exhibiting Hermione, in a library full of books and you're only reading a small portion. I'm so proud of you." Harry missed Hermiones flush as she remembered just how little time she actually spent searching for the magical creatures section.

Thankfully she was saved from confession by Sirius joining them. He perused the shelves in the section with a frustrated grumble. There were two stacks of books in this section, both 20 feet high and requiring a ladder to reach the top shelves. "Ok pups. Pull everything that looks like it might contain any sort of information about drackens. I'll start at the top left, Harry, the top right, and Hermione, start at eye level. Stack the books on that table over there and then we'll start the deep dive."

Hermione let out a happy sigh at the idea that had both of the men laughing.

Harry shook his head through his laughter "Only you would be so blissfully happy at the idea of hours of researching."

A non-committal happy hum was all the response Hermione deemed to give him. Her hands were already rapid fire pulling books from the shelves, her sharp eyes flicking through index tables where available, and flipping through books when they weren't.

Harry and Sirius shared a long suffering glance before ascending the ladders to start their own searches.

The better part of an hour had passed before they finished scouring the shelves for books. There were about fifteen books stacked on the table, with two or three set aside as truly promising. Hermione got started on those while Harry and Sirius started the dive into the larger stack.

The first book Hermione read through had a section on drackens... but it was short and unhelpful.

" _Drackens are a dark creature. If ever you encounter one, kill it upon sight. If it is a female, you must also cull any chicks or males. The drackens will be extremely dangerous, and nearly impervius to magical attacks. Recommend using a sharpened steel sword for best effects."_

Hermione paled at the description, but added  _"Potentially impervius to magical attacks, dark? Chicks?"_  on her note sheet. "Sirius. Answer me honestly. Am I gonna lay eggs? This book just referenced dracken babies as chicks."

Sirius laughed and shook his head. "Nah Kitten. Drackens have live births, kinda. Technically you guys are ovoviviparous. You lay eggs, but retain them internally until hatching. It makes things like ultrasounds... difficult. You can pretty much get a number but not much other information."

"Wonderful." Hermiones sarcastic declaration prompted what could only be described as a giggle from Harry.

A glare from the young woman prompted him to throw up his hands in surrender. "You have to admit Hermione, the idea of you laying eggs is kinda adorable."

A growl met his declaration. "Sure it does to you! It's not you who's got to push it out! Wait... Sirius. You said number. As in more than 1..."

Sirius nods knowingly "Yes, my friend said that drackens have between 1-5 babies per clutch. I'm not sure what determines the number or even when they can give birth. It was a secret I wasn't privy to."

"Five. Five? Five?!" Hermione promptly started hyperventilating, "I can't have FIVE babies!"

Harry jumped up to rub her shoulders, trying to ease her tension. "Calm down Hermione. We don't know just how common it is, or anything else really. No use getting upset about it before we know for sure."

Hermione took a shuddering breath before nodding. "Right. Right. You're right of course. Right. Ok. I can do this."

"That's the spirit Kitten!" Sirius nodded happily before picking up the next book in her pile. "This looks promising. Start here next." He passed Hermione the book carefully. It was old and falling apart, but had a whole chapter on Drackens.

Before Hermione had a chance to dig into it though, the floo flared, and Dumbledore stepped out, dressed in bright purple robes with yellow moons over them. "Well. Hello Ms. Granger. I hear you have some exciting news."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to AlaskanAppaloosa, my fantastic beta who makes all this possible!
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

"Exciting!? Exciting. That's the word you have for this Sir? Really? I get to find out I'm some crazy dragon-human hybrid with wings and fangs and Merlin knows what else! I get to read a book by the  _darkest wizards in history_  about how those dragon-human hybrids should be slaughtered on sight and the word you chose for this is EXCITING?!" Hermione took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down before she once again addressed Dumbledore. "I'm sorry Sir, but I fail to see the excitement in this."

Dumbledore's face fell as she went on her little tirade, but he recovered quickly. "Oh my dear girl, what an awful introduction to a noble race such as the drackens. Please. Sit. Let me explain."

Hermione reluctantly plopped into a chair beside Harry, leaning her head over onto her best friends shoulder. "Go ahead Headmaster."

Dumbledore took his own sweet time settling into a dark red wing back chair he summoned from across the library before turning to Hermione with a twinkle in his eye. "First off my dear, let me tell you what I know of drackens."

Hermione nodded impatiently, motioning with her hands for him to get on with it. "I'm sorry headmaster, but I'm just not in the mood to be patient today."

Dumbledore nodded in that infuriatingly calm way before continuing. "Drackens are far more than a dragon-humanoid hybrid Ms. Granger. Drackens are the embodiment of elemental fire magic. As a dracken, your body will have some significant changes. I'm sure you have noticed some already? Wings, scales, fangs, and claws?" Hermione nodded slowly. "There will be others. Your core temperature will run much hotter than an average human. You will be nearly impervious to all but the most severe of burns. You will also find your menses do not come anymore." Hermione flushed a deep red while Harry and Sirius coughed and tried to avoid the eyes of either Hermione or the headmaster.

"You will also find that you have highly heightened senses, primarily vision, hearing, and smell." Hermione nodded, having already noticed just how much more intense her olfactory input was.

"But my dear, the biggest changes will be in your brain and hormones. First, I must ask. Have you had sexual relations with anyone?"

Somehow Hermiones blush got darker as Harry and Sirius both whipped around to look at her questioningly as she fervently shook her head.

"Good. This is  _very_  good Ms. Granger. You see, drackens are split into two types, of a sort. There are submissive drackens, those who bear and care for the young, and dominant dracken, who protect and provide for their mate and chicks. I assume that when you took your dracken form, your form was white, almost colourless?" Hermione nodded slowly, but alarm bells started to go off in her head.

"Then my dear, you are a submissive dracken, when you take your mate, or mates, your wings and scales will take on the colour of your dominants."

Hermione snarled and stood, shoving the table away from herself. "Submissive?  _Mates?_ As in plural? So what now? I am to become a baby-factory? Locked away in some house somewhere bearing chicks for my  _mates_  while they get to go out and care for world? I think  _not_."

"Oh no Ms. Granger, don't mistake me. dracken submissives are ferocious and intelligent by their own right. And while dracken dominants are protectors and providers, they are, in my own experience, caring and dedicated mates. As for the young bearing? I suppose that depends on you. You see, dracken submissives have heat cycles rather than a typical human ovulation cycles. The length between heat cycles is determined by the submissive, and my understanding if that each heat has the potential to produce a pregnancy. I also understand that normal birth control does not work for drackens due to their raised internal temperature."

Hermione gasped and sat in shock. "What your saying is I will have babies.. forever. And have no control over it."

"Well. No. You see, this is why it was important to know if you have had relations with anyone else... see, submissive drackens are not able to have sexual relations with non-drackens. If they do, their womb shrivels and becomes inhospitable to young. You would never be able to have children. It is... the ultimate birth control in a way."

Hermione stared at the table ahead of her, feeling numb and yet somehow... terrified. "So what you are saying is I  _have_  to take a dracken mate and have his young whenever my biology dictates... or I will never have a family."

"Yes Ms. Granger. That's exactly what I am saying."

The tears that had started at the understanding of what Dumbledore said turned to full on sobs at this declaration. Harry moved over to Hermione, wrapping his friend in a hug, allowing her to cry on his chest.

"I'm going to have to stay locked away in a house somewhere having babies forever Harry. I'm never going to be able to make charitable organization. I'm never going to be able to have a job! I'm never going to be able to have a say in my life again!"

"Is there nothing we can do Albus?" The words came from Sirius, and Dumbledore started to be so addressed.

"Do? Why would Ms. Granger want to do anything? I fear I have done you a great wrong Ms. Granger, in how I portrayed submissive life. Yes, some submissives live the life you paint. Bearing young constantly, staying at home, having no say over their life. But Ms. Granger. There is nothing that says this must be  _your_  life."

"Oh really?" Hermione snapped, cutting off the headmaster. "Because that's pretty much what it sounded like."

Dumbledore smiled a gentle smile. "I know this is a lot for you Ms. Granger, but there is hope. First off. You need not mate with just any old dracken. In dracken culture, submissives hold a... meeting of sorts. A place where they can get to know their potential mates. Every available dominant male from across the world will arrive to vie for your hand. But the choice will be up to you. No dominant will be allowed to stay if you send them home. I suspect you will be searching for some... particular things in your potential mates." Hermione snorted, nodding harshly. "Second off Ms. Granger. All relationships are determined by the people in it. No one says your relationship has to be anything but what you make of it."

Hermione sniffled into Harry's shoulder, nodding slowly. "Thank you Headmaster. That makes me feel a bit better. Still not good. But better." She sat up and wiped her face with a harsh swipe. "What's the next step?"

Sirius came over to put his arm around Hermiones shoulders. "Now Kitten. You get in contact with the dracken counsel. An unmated submissive  _will_  call dominant drackens to her, and trust me, when that happens, you want the counsel there to mediate."

Hermione sighed and nodded forlornly, learning into Sirius' shoulder. "We better get on that then."

Dumbledore piped up before Sirius could say anything else. "I've already contacted them Ms. Granger, they have requested that you choose a time that is convenient for you in the next day to come and meet with them. They also have sent this along with me." The old man picked a book out of his pocket to hand to her.

Hermione, upon seeing it, gave a small chuckle. "I'm afraid they're to late Headmaster. That book is already in our read pile." She pointed out the book on the table. "I'll make a note that it's the one the drackens themselves recommend."

"Why am I not surprised that the Black library contains privileged information about such a... delicate subject?" The twinkle was back in the headmasters eyes as he returned the book to his pocket. "I will let them know. But perhaps now would be a good time to choose when to meet with the counsel?"

After a bit of deliberation, Hermione decided that that same night after dinner would be fine with her. On the condition that Harry and Sirius could join her. "I'm sure they won't have a problem with that Ms. Granger. I will be by around 7 to pick you up. I'll see you soon." With that Dumbledore activated the floo, calling out "Hogwarts, Headmasters office."

"Well that was interesting." Harry said as soon as he left, and Sirius and Hermione each threw a wadded ball of parchment at him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to AlaskanAppaloosa, my fantastic beta who makes all this possible!
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Hermione shook her head at Harry, who now looked slightly abashed. A simple eye roll and smile is all he got from her before she walked to the table of books and grabbed the recommended one.

"Do you guys mind if I read this alone? I suspect... I suspect there will be some things in here that are going to take some time to process."

Harry and Sirius both agreed, though Harry looked quite worried at leaving his friend to deal with this alone. "If you need us at all Kitten, we will be in the muggle room playing Fortnight." Sirius physically dragged Harry out of the room, but Hermione didn't notice. She was already moving deeper in the library to sit on a very comfortable chair and read the book that held the answers to her questions, parchment and pen clutched in her hand to take notes.

The book was bound in dragonhide, and had no other markings on it outside of a small 'D' scrolled in the bottom of the spine. The pages were obviously well-worn, but the book was well cared for.

Flipping it open to the first page, Hermione was a little shocked to see word appear before her eyes. "I wonder if this book is charmed to only be read by drackens.." She wondered out loud to herself.

Hermione took a deep breath before diving into the introduction.

_Hello reader. This book is not meant to be a guide to non-drackens. Instead, it is meant to be a helpful tie to our world for young drackens who find themselves adrift. This book is as accurate and brief as we can feasibly make it, and is written to be quite conversational in nature. Please read this book as thoroughly as possible before your first meeting with the dracken counsel, and we will answer any questions you have as best we can._

_\- The Dracken Counsel of Europe_

Hermione giggled to herself. "I got a PR package from the dracken counsel. Well, I guess if it does the job..." She flipped open the book to page 1 and started reading.

There wasn't much information in the general physiology part of the book she didn't already know, so she mostly just skimmed through it before moving onto the submissive section.

" _Submissive drackens are typically female, though rarely a male submissive dracken may be found. All submissive drackens are young-bearing. When in their dracken forms, unmated submissive drackens are pure white, but upon mating take on the colors of their dominant(s). Submissive drackens are typically quite small in stature, but are not to be underestimated, as they are fierce fighters._ (Here in the pages, scrawled in the hand written type of what was obviously a Black ancestor, was a note that read "You're telling me. Viscious little bints they are, and I have the scars to prove it!" Hermione got a good laugh there.)

_Submissive drackens carry in their fangs and claws a lethal venom that is an effective weapon against even other drackens. More than once a submissive has killed in defense of her mate or chicks. There are also accounts, though few and far between, of a submissive dracken attacking her mate in defense of her chicks."_

"Well that's cool," Hermione mused to herself. "I'm venomous. Gotta make a note though to not nick Harry or Sirius in my dracken form."

" _Submissive drackens, are by instinct, fierce and protective mothers. They also tend to be attentive and helpful mates, though there have been examples of dominants losing the trust of their submissive, which usually ends in death for the dominant._   _Dominant drackens are typically large, averaging in height from the short at about six feet, one inch, to the quite tall at seven feet, two inches. Dominant dracken wings are most commonly jewel tones, though pastel or mottled feathers are not unheard of. Dominants vie for the attention of submissives through the use of wing displays, and_ (Here, the word "displays" had been scratched out and replaced by the same hand as before with "Brutish displays of strength and macho posturing.") Hermiones nose wrinkled as she considered what may be coming for her. "What if I don't care about... wings? Or their ability to beat each other to a pulp?" Hermione made a note about this in her parchment and underlined it to ask the elders.

" _Dominant drackens tend to be quite possessive, and protective of their mates. Instinctively, drackens will shelter and provide for their mates. No slight to her will be allowed, and dominant males have done severe damage to those who even insinuate they would do harm to their mate. Dominant drackens do come in a rare female variant as well, and females share many of the same personality traits. Dominant drackens will, when they feel their submissive has stepped out of line, sometimes physically discipline their submissive."_ Hermione didn't even make it through this sentence before she yelped "Over my dead body they will!" A rough snarl broke through her throat, and claws formed at the end of her fingers. It took several deep calming breaths to be able to return to the book.

The text moved on quickly from here, the section on chicks being very small, stating only that dracken chicks were nearly identical to human babies, and in many cases, only the mother knew whether her babies were human or dracken, and often the racial identity of her children was a close family guarded secret, to discourage poachers. Hermione had a sad moment of reflection, wondering what her mother must have been like. She must have been a dracken, and a most likely submissive. Did she go down fighting? Had her parents been in love, or had they come together purely of biological imperative? Did Hermione have any siblings? Or was she from a clutch of only one?

Hermione entirely skipped the section on mating and nesting, completely uninterested. There was nothing pressing about that information right now. The last thing she needed to think about was the details of what was coming.

Instead she skipped right to the section on dracken illegality and safe-haven laws.

" _Drackens are considered, by most European nations, to be illegal dark creatures. As such, drackens are subject to execution upon exposure to authorities in most countries."_ Hermione gasped and put the book down, considering what this would mean for her life. As part of the golden trio, Hermione often appeared in the media, and having pieces of her life she kept secret was no mystery to her, but this seemed extreme. That would be a large thing to hide from such scrutiny. She would have to talk with the elders about security measures. She added the note to her growing list.

Unfortunately, that was as deep as Hermione got into the book before the library doors swung open and Harry stepped in, waving slowly. "It's time for dinner! Sirius made your favourite! Steak with more steak and some steak on the side."

Dinner passed with much laughter and ribbing all around. For moment, it seemed that everything was the same and nothing had changed besides Hermione's preferences for the doneness of her steak.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to last. Once they had eaten their fill, the floo once again flared and Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace. "It's time, my girl."

Hermione took a deep steadying breath before looking to Harry, then back at Dumbledore. "Can I bring Harry with me? I... I am scared. And bringing a friend might... ease things."

Dumbledore debated for a moment before nodding. "The dracken counsel might not particularly like it, but I agree with you. Bring him, but be aware Mr. Potter, the dracken courts are a dangerous place for humans. You may be required to swear a wand oath to keep their secrets."

Harry was already preparing to leave, slipping on his shoes and his outer cloak. "No offense Sir, but I wouldn't care if they were gonna draw and quarter me then stitch me back together again. I'm staying with Hermione if she says she needs me. She's my best friend, and Merlin knows she's always been there for me." Hermione gave her friend a shaky smile and might have had some tears she had to wipe away. Harry was her brother in every way that mattered, so she wasn't surprised by the sentiment. She would have felt the exact same way if their situations were reversed.

Dumbledore nodded sagely "I had assumed that was the case, but a warning is still prudent."

Hermione gave Sirius a quick hug before she left, whispering in his ear as she wrapped her arms around him. "If we aren't back within 6 hours, or I haven't sent my patronus, assume we've been captured and need rescuing. You know what to do." Long ago Sirius had put tracking charms on Harry that could be activated at any time and were tied into Harry's magical core, so wards and blocking spells couldn't stop him finding Harry. When the war was at its zenith Sirius, at Harry's request, had extended that spell to include Hermione.

Sirius gave a barely perceptible nod in her hair before releasing her. "I'll see you before bed and we can talk about what you've learned today. Be aware the dracken counsel may try pretty hard to put you under a protective guard. They're looking out for you, but you have the right to keep your life private."

"I'll be careful." Hermione acknowledged, walking back to Harry to entwine her hand with his. Taking another deep breath, she looked up at Dumbledore. "I'm ready. Let's go."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he motioned to the fireplace. "We will travel to the Dracken Counsel Halls through the floo network. You and Harry will go first. The address is 'Dracken Counsel Hall Visitors Entrance'. Yes, I know it's a mouth full. I've already had words about it with them. They say it's a security precaution." Dumbledore rolled his eyes and Hermione and Harry laughed at the clearly exasperated elderly wizard.

Calling out the floo address, Harry and Hermione disappeared with a puff of purple smoke. The room they stepped out into was glorious, huge and stately without being cold. Decorative mouldings adorned the cathedral ceilings, and the furniture that was artfully placed around the room was all varying shades of cream, gold, and white. The chairs that squatted around the roaring fireplace were oversized and looked incredibly comfortable. " _This is the kind of place I'd want to curl up a read a book in._ " Hermione thought as she peered around.

Harry seemed just as stunned by the opulent room, but as soon as he caught sight of the welcoming party coming to meet them he nudged Hermione. "Someone's coming."

Hermione whipped herself around to view the oncoming crowd. Two men and three women walked towards them, all dressed in ceremonial black robes that bore a embroidered dragon on the front in gold thread. One of the men looked very upset to be there, but the rest seemed very relaxed, and one of the women looked like she might burst out of her skin, she was so happy.

Harry stepped in front of Hermione when the group drew near, inserting his shoulder over hers in a well-practiced move. If the drackens were going to be a threat, the two would fight their way out. But the group stopped a respectful distance away, and one of the women spoke up.

"Hello Ms. Granger and... I suppose you must be Mr. Potter, correct? Welcome to the Dracken Counsel Halls. I'm Elder Clara Duboise, and these are the other elders on the Dracken counsel." Hermione didn't catch any of their names because she was busy examining the elder that the counsel had set as their speaker. She had long brown hair, dark and straight that ran clear down to her thighs, and her eyes were a bright blue that reminded Hermione of the ocean on a warm day. She was quite tall, but was rounded and soft in a way that reminded Hermione of Molly Weasley in a way. By the time Hermione was done her examination, the last elder, the smiling woman, was introduced as "Sarah Duram."

The little redhead with wild curly hair like Hermione's own gave her a small wave under the disapproving glare of the scowly man whose name Hermione had missed.

"Thank you for having me here." Hermione said clearly, reaching her hand out to shake Clara's hand.

Clara took a step back, looking down at Hermione's hand with a smile. "My dear, even a simple touch with an unmated dominant could set off a bonding. You never know who is mated and who is not, so it's better to not touch at all." The words were said with such tenderness that Hermione felt her face heat as she flushed and dropped her hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend." Hermione said, a bit cowed.

"Oh no, my dear! You have had no instruction in our customs! You have no need to apologize. I would just hate to have you find yourself in a mating that you didn't want." Clara's smile was genuine, and she clearly was enraptured with this young woman who had such a reputation in the wizarding world of having formidable intelligence , yet stepped into this new world with little to no knowledge. "Please, we would like to talk to you further. Your friend is welcome of course, though he will have to take a wand oath to not share our secrets." Harry nodded, already reaching for his wand before she continued, "We would like to show you around the hall, give you a small tourl and perhaps answer any questions you have, are you open to that?"

Hermione nodded as one of the male elders secured Harry's wand oath. "Yes, I would like that very much." Reaching into her jeans pocket, Hermione pulled out her note paper filled with questions. "I came prepared."

Clara clucked, "Why am I not surprised the brightest witch of her age came with her thoughts prepared?" Guiding Hermione past the ornate desk where a young man sat to receive visitors into a long hallway, Clara started the tour.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa! 
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Clara explained that the Dracken Counsel Hall was put together in a circle, with a large gathering room in the middle. "We hold yearly gatherings for drackens and their mates to meet and socialize, and once you get us all in one room, you need quite a bit of space!" Hermione and Harry were shown the elder's meeting room, the offices, and the safe rooms for submissives if their dominant was found to be abusive. Hermione was especially interested in these, and how drackens governed themselves.

"Well, in general the elder counsel, which you see before you, has judiciary control over all registered drackens. When a dominant is found to be abusive and unrepentant and the bond between the pair cannot be healed... the dominant is executed." Hermione gasped and Harry flinched before Clara turned to them and smiled weakly. "It seems an extreme measure to you I assume?" When both nodded, she explained more fully. "Drackens mate for life. As long as the dominant survived, the submissive would be forced by instinct to go back to him. Risking herself and her children's lives, with no real choice over it. So as a mercy to the submissive, we put down the dominant as humanely as possible. The submissive is then free to pick another dominant who is more suited to her. All drackens are aware of this the moment they come into their inheritance. Speaking of which. When was your seventeenth birthday?"

"Oh. It's not for another couple weeks." With a sharp gasp every person in the group except Harry whipped around to look at her, shock on their faces.

"What do you mean you haven't reached 17 yet?" Clara said, her voice deathly calm, but her eyes betraying just how terrified she was.

Hermione gulped and looked to Harry for reassurance before answering "My birthday has not come, but I reached my inheritance only this morning."

Whispers spread through the group before with a slashing motion of her hand Clara cut them all off. "Hermione. There are very, very few instances of a dracken inheritance emerging before the child turns 17. In fact, so few that I have personally never seen one in my life time and I have lived over 100 years."

Hermione shared another look with Harry before shrugging and saying, "Why does it matter?"

"Because young lady," The grumpy-looking man spoke up, "The dracken inheritance only comes forward early in incredibly powerful drackens. Or. There is a potion. A horrible potion that is used to force young drackens to come into their inheritance early. It's illegal and its ingredients are very regulated in most European countries. It's a dark potion made with the stolen scales of one of our kind. It's often used by poachers to force young drackens they have kidnapped into their inheritance early. You can understand why we would be... worried."

Hermione considered this for a moment before responding. "I have ingested no potions, and I check every meal I eat and everything I drink... But I did use a time turner in my third year?"

"That has the potential to have caused the changes we have seen when combined with a strong magical signature. It's wise of you to check your food for potions. I understand you were quite involved in the war effort. Your inheritance must have been quite a shock."

Hermione nodded before simply asking, "What did Professor Dumbledore tell you about my... inheritance?"

This time Sarah answered "He told us that he had a young dracken submissive who had been born to muggle-born parents and that you were... in need of guidance."

"Well, that's part of the truth I suppose. I was raised in a muggle orphanage that has a high percentage of magical girls that go missing when they turn seventeen. I was told to come home on my seventeenth birthday for a going-away party. Harry's guardian, Sirius Black, suggested that this was a front for poachers and that if I had gone home... I would have never come back."

Hermione had been looking at the ground when she made her statement, so she couldn't see the group turn first to pale white, then to burning red. She didn't see the hands clenching or tears welling in the eyes of the submissives in the group. When Hermione looked up at the group, she saw one man walking off, clearly furious, and Clara with her fists clutched to her chest while others looked to be in a murderous rage.

"Did I... say something wrong?"

With a snarl, Clara motioned the group including the two teenagers into an office nearby, moving them out of the way of anyone who might overhear.

"Wrong, my dear? No. Not you. What you described. An orphanage, posing as a front for dracken poachers. You have to understand Hermione. Drackens protect our children with the fierceness of our ancient ancestors, the dragons themselves. Our young are our contribution to the world, the purest form of hope and joy we have. To know that under our noses our young have been stolen and raised for the slaughter..." Clara took a steadying breath. "You will give us all the information you have about your orphanage. And we will do a full investigation. Please know. There will be no quarter given if your suspicions are correct. Child killers get no mercy from us."

At this Sarah snarled and rammed her fist through the wall, tearing into the sheet rock. None of the drackens seemed surprised, but Harry and Hermione were more than a little confused.

"You'll have to forgive Sarah. A long time ago her sister, along with her chicks and mate, were stolen by poachers. We recovered... the remains of her sister and the mate... but the children were lost. This is a very sensitive topic for her."

Pity washed over Hermione. She understood family being missing, understood what it was like to long for answers that might never be given. "I'm so sorry for your loss." The words were whispered to Sarah alone, and the woman pulled away from the wall with a grimace. But she said nothing as she whipped away, her curls bouncing in her wake.

"She'll be back. She just needs a minute." One of the other men spoke up, a dark-skinned man with a tall stocky build.

"That's Bart. He's her dominant." The words came from Clara, who, like the others in the room, was beginning to collect herself again. "Ok. Today is not the day to talk about this. We will obtain all the information we can about your orphanage from your headmaster. The dracken counsel will take care of things from there. You may be called in as a witness in their trial."

Bart scoffed, visibly getting irritated. "Trial. Monsters like that don't deserve trials."

The grumpy man glared at Bart before stating, "We have already talked about this. Let it go Bart." Bart grumbled, but stayed quiet.

Clara took another deep breath before indicating they should continue the tour. They saw a few more rooms and Sarah rejoined them, making her apologies for her temper before retiring into the elder's meeting room.

"Ok Hermione, we know you have questions, lay them on us." Clara was obviously amused as she watched Hermione pulled out her notepaper.

"In what countries are we considered illegal, and what happens if we are caught or outed?"

Bart was the one who answered, "You're not pulling punches today huh? Well, we're illegal in every European country except Bulgaria, Germany, and Russia. There are a handful of African countries where we are legal, and Canada doesn't care if we're there as long as we don't make trouble. If you are found out here in England... you are executed, as are your mates. Your children will be spared, but will be extradited to a country where drackens are legal."

Hermione and Harry were both very shaken by this. The prospect of living her life in fear was a heavy one. It seemed that the dracken community was well-organized though so...

"What protections are there in place both legally and physically for drackens in the UK? How can I guarantee I will be safe here?"

The grumpy man answered this time. "The dracken counsel is... adept at hiding our presence from the wizarding world, and we provide services for drackens who feel they might have been outed, including relocation services." Hermione took a moment to think about this. She had personally never heard about drackens before this, and it hadn't seemed like Harry had known anything about it either, so it was obviously a well-protected secret.

"Why are we considered dark?"

This one took some thinking on the part of Sarah. "I think it's because we... have strong instincts. If our children or mate is harmed, drackens can do significant damage to those around them, often retaliating to an extreme measure. Most countries would rather not have to deal with the... strain on the legal process large communities of drackens can sometimes provide."

Hermione nodded in understanding before asking the question that had been burning in her mind for the entire day. "Tell me about the process of choosing my mate."

For this Clara piped up again. "Mates, Ms. Granger. You will require more than one mate. How many is yet unknown, but it will definitely be more than one." Hermione reeled at this news, holding up her hand for a moment of pause. More than one mate? Two or perhaps three men to deal with? This was... unexpected.

With a shaky breath she motioned for Clara to continue, and with an understanding smile, she did. "In the next few days, you will begin emitting pheromones, if you haven't already. These pheromones will reach every unmated dominant dracken in the world within the next week or so. They will all be drawn to you like a moth to flame. In ages past, dominants would fight to the death for the right to forcibly mate with a submissive. Now.. we are more civilized." When Clara paused to take a drink of water, Bart continued for her.

"We will hold you a mating meeting starting quite soon; we would prefer tomorrow, but we understand that that might be a bit much for you. During this meeting, you will be able to interview the dominants. Your word will be law. If you choose to send a dominant home, they will go home. When you find a dominant you connect with, you will be able to create a mating bond."

Harry held up a hand "Just one dominant? You just said she will have to pick more than one..."

"Yes, just one. Submissives pick mates one at a time, and go through one heat with their chosen mate before their magic decides whether or not they need another mate to conceive. In addition, some submissives require a grounding mate, someone to help keep their magic under control. I suspect Ms. Granger will be such a person."

Hermione at this point was getting quite hysterical, but she managed to remain calm enough to ask "Conceive? You're saying that I will know I have enough mates when I  _conceive?_ "

The drackens at the table seemed quite confused by this. "You don't want to have children?" Such a thing was nearly unthinkable. Every submissive wanted children, often as many as they could. It was a biological imperitive!

Hermione shook her head, "No, I want children, just not  _now_. I'm only seventeen! I want to..." At this point she started actively hyperventilating. Harry moved behind her chair, rubbing her shoulders and massaging her back. Quiet shushing sounds left his lips, calming Hermione without even thinking about it. The drackens at the table were quite confused about the interactions between the two, but most held their tongues.

Most. The grumpy man spoke up. "I'm sorry Ms. Granger, but I can't help but notice you're... interactions with Mr. Potter. Are you pure? Or have you shrivelled your womb inside you?"

Hermione gasped and stood with a snarl "How dare you? How dare you even ask such a personal question. How dare you think that I would... with my  _brother?_  How..." Hermione turned and ran from the room, Harry hot on her heels. He had been expecting this for awhile now. His pseudo-sister had only two modes when she was upset. Asking all the questions, and processing. And when she processed, she liked to be alone.

Hermione scrambled into the floo, grabbing some powder and Harry's hand before throwing it down and screaming "Grimmauld place!" And with a swirl of purple smoke, they were gone, leaving a very confused dracken counsel behind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to AlaskanAppaloosa, my fantastic beta who makes all this possible!
> 
> Don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Sirius wasn't surprised to see Harry and Hermione bolt out of the fireplace. What he was surprised by was Hermione grabbing his hand and dragging both Harry and himself to the library. After she had forced them both into big comfy green chairs, the pacing started. She was silent for about ten minutes, pacing, back and forth along the hardwood floors.

Sirius was just getting ready to ask her what she was thinking when Hermione finally broke the silence. "Tomorrow. They want me to start mating meetings tomorrow. And if I don't? Dominant drackens are going to hunt me down and force me to mate with them. I'm expected to have babies right away. My life is over and I'm going to be forever condemned to staying at home and living as a baby machine to some misogynistic jerk who doesn't know how to read!"

At this last exclamation, both Harry and Sirius laughed.

"Kitten, as if you would ever choose someone who didn't read as your mate. Remember, you get a say here. Yes, you are gonna have children sooner than you thought, but I imagine if you choose the right mates, you could still work and one of them would take on the bulk of parenting duties. Nothing says you have to stay home."

At this point Harry piped up, "Who knows, you might marry some fabulously wealthy man who lets you spend all his money on your pet causes."

"There's the bright side Kitten! You might get to be loaded!" Hermione was trying to contain her laughter and failing. It bordered on hysterical, but it was laughter all the same.

"Only you two would look at this situation and see 'You know what? Let's use this. Get all the money.' It's ridiculous."

Harry and Sirius shared a grin, but kept silent as Hermione once again had started pacing. It wasn't as long into the silence this time before she filled it. "I need to make a list. Everything I want in a mate. In my life. My non-negotiables. Otherwise sheer biology might have me getting there and just picking the first man with pretty wings. I can't do that."

Harry looked quite relieved at this announcement. "There. There's my friend back. I was starting to get worried, 'Mione! What can I do to help? How about a whiteboard? With colored markers? Lots of different colors. We can categorize things by color. I know you love categorizing."

Hermione laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. He didn't even wait for her to confirm or deny his thoughts, just marched off to go get it, leaving her and Sirius alone in the large library.

"You're honestly taking this better than I thought you would when I saw those wings."

An indelicate snort was all Hermione deigned to give as a response. Sirius gave her a cheeky smile. "You have to admit Kitten. You're not the best with change."

Hermione grudgingly admitted as such before her curiosity reared its head again. "Tell me about your dracken friend, please."

The silence stretched on for several long moments, but just as she was about to rescind her question, Sirius started to speak.

"His name was Frank. He was one of my best mates in school. What they don't tell you in those books Kitten? There are five dominants for every one submissive in the dracken world. So lots of dominants choose to take human mates, and Frank was one of those. Rather than wait for a dracken submissive, he found a human girl, Alice, who he loved very much. They settled down and had a son, and then they were tortured to insanity in the first war."

With a small gasp, Hermione's hand whipped up to cover her mouth. "Neville. Neville was their child."

Sirius nodded solemnly. "Before you ask? I don't know. I don't know if he's a dracken. I was never party to that information. But here's what I do know. Frank and Alice loved that boy. More than any parents I had ever seen. It killed Frank every time he had to leave to go to a submissive meeting, and he prayed to be sent home. You see, if the submissive had chosen Frank, he would have no choice, he would have had to leave Alice and little Neville. But it never happened, and then the Lestrange bitch tortured them both so much that their minds broke. Frank fought like hell though. If you took a good look? Bellatrix had a limp. Frank damn near took her leg off fighting to keep Alice safe. It wasn't enough though..." Sirius' voice slowly faded off, his face falling into a sad, pensive frown.

Hermione stepped up to give Sirius a big hug. "I'm so glad Molly killed that bitch. She deserved to die. I'm so sorry Sirius."

Sirius shook his head, returning her hug, holding her a little longer than might be considered appropriate by someone who didn't know just how close the two were. "You did nothing wrong. It's just bittersweet, thinking about Frank and Alice. They died so young, but they loved each other and they loved their son. That's a good life if ever I have heard one."

With a bang Harry threw open the heavy wooden doors to the library, startling Hermione and Sirius out of their embrace. "I have them! Ten different colors of dry erase markers, three dry erase boards, two erasers, and a crap ton of chocolate. 'Cause it seemed like that kinda day."

Both Hermione and Sirius shook their heads at him, helping grab some of the supplies.

"You know Harry, you are a wizard. You could have shrunk this." Hermione flicked her wand and the dry erase boards hung themselves into the air, arranging themselves neatly in a line. With another small tap the pens lined up beside them, organized by color of the rainbow.

Harry shrugged and threw the others each a chocolate bar, tearing into his as soon as he was finished tossing. "I don't think about things like that. Plus, I started in a muggle store! I can't very well strink things and make them weightless there now can I? No. No I can't." He looked so much like a bird with its feathers ruffled that Hermione and Sirius nearly fell over laughing, imitating his puffed up offended look to one another. With a smiling scowl he waved them off, grabbing a green marker and tossing it quite hard at Sirius' head. The marker pegged Sirius straight in the forehead, which had Harry and Hermione rolling on the floor with laughter, making them easy targets for Sirius' thrown pillows from the chairs. That's all it took for a full on projectile war to start, and by the end they had all laughed themselves hoarse and Hermione felt ten times better.

"Thank you boys. I needed that." The words would have been more meaningful if they weren't muffled by the pillow Sirius had thrown over her while Harry sat on her legs. Turns out they viewed using the  _Oppugno_ spell as 'cheating'. Hermione disagreed. Vehemently.

"How do you guys feel about take-out? Indian? Chinese?" Sirius scrambled out of the pile of crumpled up papers Hermione had thrown at him, his hair a crazy mess, but a big grin splitting his face.

Harry's face shot into the air from where he sat on Hermiones legs. "I want Chinese! I'm vetoing Indian, none of us need heartburn tonight." Hermione nodded, fully agreeing. Sirius seemed a little put out, Indian was his favourite, but he understood. Last time after they had had take out from his favourite restaurant, between them Harry and Hermione had gone through almost an entire bottle of tums. It had been worth it... but maybe not tonight.

"Ok, I'll be back with the regulars, you kids better get this mess cleaned up before I get back!" With that Sirius left the room, whistling to himself.

"That butt. He left us his mess to clean up too!" Harry was properly offended again, sending Hermione into another fit of giggles.

"Well, he is going to get the food." She countered, wiggling her bum so Harry fell off onto the floor.

"Don't take his side!" Harry squawked as he stood from his new spot on the floor. The cleaning started with a few flicks of Harry's wand, the pillows righting themselves, the papers finding their way into the trash bin, and the chair they accidentally knocked over righting itself and dusting itself off.

Hermione stood and righted the dry erase boards from where they had dropped on the floor after Sirius had ineffectively used them as a shield. "Ok. I should get started on this." She supposed she could spell the pens to write as she thought, but there was something cathartic about writing the points down in her own script. Instead she charmed the boards to move the writing around based on color, and gave each pen a number. One was red and represented her absolute deal breakers, and the negative scale continued to green at which was apathy, then became the positive scale at blue and violet with things she most wanted to see in her mate.

The random colors of black, pink, and a strange poo green Harry called 'sage' became her pens to take other notes in.

"I can add a few things to this right away." Harry grabbed the purple marker and put  _'Must be ok with maintaining friendships with Harry and Sirius.'_

Hermione laughed "Oh Harry. There is no way I would take a mate who wasn't ok with you two goof balls." With a flourish she added in her violet pen  _'Able to cook'_. Anyone who knew Hermione knew that while she was a whiz at potions, cooking didn't come as easily to her. Baking on the other hand, she could do baking.

Harry added the next one, once again in the red pen  _'Wants a stay at home wife and mother_ '. "Not that you wouldn't make a good one Hermione, but we both know you'd go stir crazy if all you did was take care of babies."

Hermione nodded, adding  _'Loves kids'_  to her side in the violet."If I'm gonna have loads of babies, I want to be sure I'm with someone who is going to love them as much as I will."

The list went on and on, getting about 15 traits deep before Sirius showed up with the Chinese. He examined the board as Hermione and Harry dug in the brown paper bag, pulling out Hermione's chicken with mixed vegetables, Harry's general tso's chicken, and Sirius' szechuan beef. They settled down in a pile on the floor, regularly sharing and stealing each others food, talking over the list.

"This is a pretty good list, kids. But you missed one." Both Harry and Hermione were puzzled before with a cheeky grin Sirius grabbed the violet pen and wrote  _'Dracken'_  on the board. Both Hermione and Harry were unimpressed with his seemingly no-brainer move. "No Kitten. Let's be honest, you don't have to marry a dracken. You can run. Have wild crazy sex with a human, make sure you can't have kids. Hide and live your life as a muggle."

Before Sirius had gotten the words out of his mouth Hermione was already violently shaking her head. "No. We all know that's not a possibility. I couldn't give up my magic. And sure, I might be scared about having kids right this moment, but that doesn't mean I don't ever want any, you know?"

A soft smile graced Sirius' face. "Yes. I know. I just think that right now you needed to realize it."

Hermione glared at him, but secretly appreciated his gesture. She stood and gave Sirius a quick hug. "Thanks, you butt head."

"You're welcome fart breath."

The floo flared, and a head popped up through the grate. Hermione sighed to see Clara's knowing eyes peeking out through the embers. "Ms. Granger, I'm sorry. But it's getting late and we must know. Are you open for mate meetings tomorrow?" Clara seemed almost hesitant, but she needn't have worried.

With a deep sigh and a nod Hermione resigned herself to the inevitable. "I have some qualifications for my mate. I'll be bringing a list. I expect lists of all the prospective mates, if they have human families, and their jobs, tomorrow. Go ahead and tell everyone the meetings will be at the Dracken Counsel Halls. I'm ready. Oh. And Harry and Sirius are coming with me for the first day at least. That's non-negotiable. "


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa!
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Hermione woke the next morning to the sun burning her eyes. With a moan she pulled the covers over her head. Sirius and Harry had decided after the call from Clara to start a wizarding chess game, which had inevitably devolved into insult throwing and lots of chocolate eating. They had stayed up far too late and when they finally hit the bed, they had all hit it together, snuggling into one another for warmth and comfort.

Unfortunately, they still had to wake, and Sirius had taken it upon himself to get them up. First by opening the curtains and letting the light into the dark room, and then by jumping up and down on the bed screaming "Get up get up! We've gotta go find Hermione a man! Harry, we need to work on our intimidating glares together! Let's go, pup! We gotta get them perfect!"

Harry groaned and sat up, poking Hermione, who only hissed in response. With an evil giggle Harry used his cold feet to push her onto the floor, and she fell with a small scream.

"Harry James Potter!" She yelled after him, but he was already gone, headed towards the kitchen to fill his bottomless pit of a stomach. Sirius laughed and helped her untangle herself from the pile of blankets.

"You chose him as your friend Kitten. Just remember that. You chose this."

Hermione grumbled and moved towards her bedroom. "I've gotta get dressed. What do you suggest for attracting a mate?"

Sirius gave an evil grin "A house elf hanky." He ducked and run as Hermione threw a slap at him.

She shook her head as she threw open the doors to her room. The closet Sirius had magically put in there was filled with clothes. Harry had somehow found out her size over the last school year, and had started buying her clothing whenever he could, despite her protests. It seemed that living in Dudley's hand-me-downs had given him a bit of a complex, Harry had to know that if he had the resources, his friends would be outfitted properly. Unfortunately, his version of 'properly' was much different than hers. But for the first time, Hermione was glad of it.

Her closet was filled out with clothes of all kinds. Hermione swore that Harry took pleasure in seeing just how frustrated she got every time she came to Grimmauld and found more clothes in the closet.

" _What do you wear to meet someone you might have to spend the rest of your life with?"_  Immediately she discarded the idea of a dress. No need to give them any easy access to the more delicate parts of her body. Taking another sweeping look around her closet, Hermione ended up grabbing a fitted pair of beige slacks, her favourite black tank top, and a navy blue blazer. She was fairly casual and comfortable, but professional enough that she felt the males may keep a respectful distance.

Her hands raised to twist her hair into a braid as she walked to the kitchen. Sirius and Harry barely even acknowledged her entrance, so interested were they in the toaster waffles that one of them had rustled up. Hermione's nose wrinkled in distaste at the waffles, but Sirius was already ahead of her and was setting down some sausages down in front of her.

Harry pointedly looked away as she ate her breakfast. She gracefully ignored it. If he wanted her to leave he would tell her. Very little conversation happened over breakfast. They all were very much still trying to wake up after their late night. But, by the time everyone was done eating and the dishes were put away, everyone felt more awake.

Apparently, just before Hermione had come downstairs, the dracken counsel had left a message that she was expected at 11 am, which is when her security team would come to the house and meet her. Hermione was a bit torn about how she felt about the security team. The need for one was frustrating, but she appreciated the extra safety, especially with her human male friends there. Sirius and Harry were for their own species, well built and strong men, but drackens were stronger than a normal human and it would be awful if her friends got hurt because of her want for them to be there with her.

It was now 10:50, so it was time to get ready. Harry and Sirius were already dressed in street clothes, and all Hermione had left was her shoes. She grabbed a sensible pair of navy flats just as the floo flared and her security team stepped out.

Relief poured over her as she recognized Bart. Sure, she'd only met him once but at least it was a slightly familiar face. Two other men stepped out of the floo behind him, introducing themselves as Thadeus and Armand. Everyone in the group shook hands before Bart spoke up.

"Ok Hermione. Here's the deal. Thads, Armand, and I will be watching you all day. If anyone touches you in a way you don't like, just throw up two fingers. We'll deal with them immediately. If at any time you decide you don't want someone there, just let us know and we will remove them no questions asked. If anyone tries to pressure you in a way that makes you uncomfortable, let us know. Again, this is all about you and you are completely in charge."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "Thank you all of you. I... can imagine that with creatures as passionate as drackens, meetings like this can get quite intense." The men chuckled and nodded, indicating it was their pleasure and privilege. "My friends are coming with me. Please protect them as well, they're human and I'd be very upset if they got hurt..." The men all nodded again, appearing slightly offended that she felt they had to be told.

"Ok Kitten. You ready to go?" Sirius was the one who asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes. Let's go." Grabbing Harry and Sirius' hands, she followed Bart into the floo. A flare of purple smoke and they stepped out into the meeting hall.

Whatever she was expecting, this wasn't it.

The main hall was filled with males of all shapes and sizes. Some were in their dracken forms with their wings trailing behind them, but others were in their human forms. That wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that when she stepped out of the floo, every head whipped around to stare at her.

It felt... uncomfortable to have so many men watching her. Panic rose in her and without thinking, she dropped Harry and Sirius' hands and shifted to her dracken form. Pure white wings burst from her back, ripping through her blazer. She fought to regain control through her panic, but in the end it was Harry who really helped.

"Hermione. It's ok. Just embrace it. Of all the places to just walk around in your dracken form... this is it. Let go, Hermione. It's ok."

A couple of deep breaths and Hermione nodded, her head calming. When she reopened her eyes, she was shocked to find that her security team was standing, wings flared, between her and the crowd of men. "Are you ok Hermione?" Bart asked through his emerald green wings.

She nodded slowly, "Yes, I am fine. Thank you. Is it ok if I stay in this form?"

Bart snorted out a laugh. "Darling, I can say with some confidence every man here will love that."

"Ok. Then I'm ready. You guys can back down." The men's wings came down as Hermione was removing the pieces of her tattered blazer from her wings, revealing the tank top beneath it. When she dared to look out at the crowd, there were many leering looks and a few curious ones. Setting her shoulders back and taking Harry and Sirius' hands, she moved forward through the crowd. There were a few mumbled growls when the men saw the joined hands, but no one dared say anything.

The security team guided her into the large meeting room, keeping a good distance between her and the crowd, but still allowing the males to see her and her to see them. Her quick eyes scanned the crowd, noting the near blinding combination of colours. Green wings, red wings, blue wings, purple wings, name it and you could see it. There were a few other, more unique wings as well. Wings that looked like autumn leaves, or wings that reminded her of waves breaking on a lake shore. The males came in every age, from very old to barely of age to have reached their inheritance. There were a few men that stood out, some in a good way, and some in a not so great one. Many of them were strutting around with their wings flared out and chests thrust forward, generally inconveniencing everyone around them. Hermione took note of a couple of the worst offenders and vowed to send them home. On the other hand, she noted one striking male with black wings who leaning against the wall and generally kept to himself. His carriage was such that you could tell he had a good amount of confidence, but wasn't making a nuisance of himself.

By the time they got to the main hall, Hermione had a list of ten or so males she already wanted sent home. When she told this to Bart, he was unsurprised. He handed Hermione the list that she had asked for the day before. "Give me a second. We're gonna gather all the men together so you can address them, and then you do any large send-homes you want to do, or point out specific men you want to go."

Hermione was confused. "Large send-homes?"

Bart looked a bit uncomfortable. "Some submissives send home all dominants over the age of 50. Some send-home all those males with wing lengths shorter than 8 feet. Some send home dominants with more dull wing colors..."

Outrage, pure and simple, poured through Hermione. "Well. That won't be happening. The only large send home I will be doing is those who already have human families." Sirius looked happy at this, no doubt remembering Frank and his dread at being forced to leave Alice.

The males in her security team seemed surprised at this, but Hermione wasn't shifting from that position.

"Please gather in the main meeting hall." Came over the speaker system in the hall, but the announcement was mostly unneeded, as most of the males had followed her into the room.

"Hermione has chosen to send home those who have families already. If you are in a committed relationship with any human female, please leave now." A good portion of the older crowd that had stayed near the back of the hall left, most seeming quite relieved to go home so early in the meeting.

"There are also a few men that Hermione will now point out, who are also being asked to leave." Hermione stepped forward and picked out the ten males who had made her frustrated. More than one seemed quite upset, one even going so far as to yell out "You can't do that! I'm the most beautiful male here!"

Hermione and Harry laughed, because he surely was. His wings were lovely, a mix of greens and blues that looked like still lake water. But his attitude was the most ugly thing about him. He looked down his nose at all the other men, flaring his wings out and smacking those around him. "He's an idiot." Hermione whispered in Harry's ear as the security team removed the man. Harry nodded with a wide-eyed look.

"Let's hope they're not all like that. You gotta mate some of these!" He whispered back, staring over the crowd.

Hermione nodded, giving Harry a side eye. "How do you suggest we get to know these guys? There's so many of them!"

For this, Sirius had an idea. "I think Frank said something about some submissives holding interviews? If you do that, you can have a timer with each man, and get a feel for how they are. They keep a list, right? You can use that to keep track, and then call some of them back for a second round of interviews later?"

Hermione was already nodding by the time he got to interviews. "Yes, I want to do that. Bart? Can you make that happen?" Bart said of course he could, and cleared the men from the hall. Most went respectfully, but Hermione had to send two more unruly males home, to much eye rolling from Harry and Sirius.

The list Hermione asked for the night before came out, and she steeled herself for the start of the interview process by getting her pens out, settling herself, Harry, and Sirius into the comfy grey chairs Bart and the others provided for them.

"Let's begin."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa! 
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Hermione browsed the list while she waited for the first man to come into the room. It had taken all of six seconds to decide to start at the top of the list alphabetically.

The first dominant came in, and within seconds Hermione wanted him gone. He didn't bother to ask her name, didn't bother to ask what she was interested in, or why she had two other males with her even.. he just launched into a rant about him and his accomplishments, all the while flashing his purple wings at her. When his five minutes was up, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and put a large black line through his name on the list.

Sirius made a joke that they couldn't all be that bad right?

He was wrong.

By the time they got to 'C' ,Hermione wanted to rip her eyes out. Not a single one was worth looking at twice. At least twenty dominants had come and gone, and she was losing hope that a single one would even ask her her name, let alone anything else about her life.

Finally, an older man came in. He was unassuming, coming into the room in his human form. His long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his full beard was well groomed. He wore a simple white polo shirt and jeans, and Hermione immediately liked how he walked in. He didn't strut, he didn't swagger. He just... walked. Which apparently was a rarity around here!

He stopped in front of the chairs where she and her friends sat, and gave a small bow. "Hello. I am Ernesto Calum. It's a pleasure to meet you Ms..."

"Granger. It's lovely to meet you Ernesto, please meet my friends Harry, and Sirius." Both Harry and Sirius shook Ernesto's hands, but Hermione did not, having been forewarned to not touch any of the dominants skin to skin for the risk of creating a bond she didn't want.

"It's wonderful you could bring your friends with you for this. I'm sure it's a lot of information all at once. Did you grow up in a dracken family?"

Hermione was thrilled to finally be asked a question about herself by one of her suitors. "No, I actually grew up in an orphanage, I had no idea that I was a dracken until the day my inheritance showed up."

Ernesto looked properly shocked by this. "I'm so sorry, that must have been quite intense. I remember my first transformation. It was terrifying, and I knew it was coming. I can't imagine what it would have been like without preparation."

Hermione nodded, her wings fluttering a bit behind her at the memory of the stress. "Yes, it really was, but Sirius here had a friend who was a dracken, so he recognized what I was before I tore down the entire house in my panic." Ernesto chuckled and thanked Sirius for preserving the lovely submissive before him.

"Please Ernesto, tell me about yourself."

"I'm 35 years old. I am an accounts manager at Gringotts, and I live in muggle London in a flat that mostly contains only what I need to survive. I enjoy reading, hiking, and my guilty pleasure is long bubble baths."

Hermione chuckled at this. "I enjoy those things as well. Thank you for your honesty."

A peek at the clock told her there wasn't much time left in his interview. "Is there anything else you would like to tell or show me before this interview draws to a close?"

Ernesto looked a bit confused. "Most submissives would like to see my bank statements, and my wings. Would you?" Hermione considered it for a moment before nodding, and Ernesto passed over a very well organized folder. She barely looked at it except to note that he made enough money to support a very large family, and that his organization skills matched her own.

When she looked up, Ernesto had removed his shirt to free his wings, and Hermione, for the first time since coming into the building, took a good hard look.

Ernesto was quite fit, but then, so were most of the other dominants. His wings were a modest twelve feet long, but were a lovely amethyst colour that shifted slightly into lavender when he moved. Hermione nodded and smiled, sure that he wanted some sort of reaction. "Thank you so much for coming today, you are the first of all the dominants to ask about me at all, and the first to get a pass into round two. Thank you. You have given me faith in this whole process."

Ernesto scowled, but obviously not at her. "Stupid young males. No woman wants to speak only of you. She wants to know you are interested in her too! How can you know that you want her if you don't ask?" He was clearly frustrated, and it made Hermione's heart quite glad. "Thank you Hermione for letting me speak to you. It was truly my pleasure." He bowed once again before leaving the room.

Hermione turned to Harry and Sirius and sighed. "Well it's about time. Goodness." They both nodded, as stunned as she. Ernesto got a check on the list, and his pass into round two, then unfortunately, they had to move on.

The next male to come in had to walk sideways through the door because he refused to put his large yellow wings down even long enough to get through the doorway. Hermione sat through his five minute rant about himself before politely dismissing him with a sigh. "Another one bites the dust."

Sirius got tired of sitting for the next one, and moved around to the back of the room, standing behind the next male to come in. He was young, barely nineteen, but very full of himself, as it seemed they all were. As he ranted and raved about himself and his grand accomplishments, Hermione had to use all her self control to just not laugh. Sirius stood behind him and puffed his chest out, made his hands into talking mouths that never stopped, and generally made a mockery of the man. More than one cough-covered laugh was heard from Harry and the security team, but every time the man turned around, Sirius was just standing quietly, observing him. When he finally left, those left behind burst into hard laughter.

"I should be upset with you Sirius Black, but you just made this whole process so much easier." Hermione gasped between giggles.

"I live to please." With an overly dramatic bow, Sirius returned to his seat while the security team let in the next male.

At this point, they started blurring together for Hermione. One puffed-out chest and self-aggrandizing rant was the same as another, and all she had to tell them apart was the list she held. By the time they got to 'L', Hermione was losing hope that there was another decent dominant dracken out there for her to even talk to, let alone mate with, when a familiar face opened the door. It didn't take long for Hermione to place the easy smile on his face.

"Neville. I can't believe it's you!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to AlaskanAppaloosa, my fantastic beta who makes all this possible!
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

"Hello Hermione! You're not the only one who was shocked! The last person I expected to see at a meeting like this was you." Neville gave Harry a hug and Sirius a respectful, if a little wary handshake. Sirius had pranked Neville quite badly the year before and their relationship still hadn't quite recovered yet.

"Well, I wasn't exactly prepared for it myself." Hermione stated sardonically. "I had no idea that I was a dracken. Imagine my surprise when I woke up one morning and had wings, scales, and claws."

Neville paled slightly at this. "I'm so sorry Hermione! I prepared for weeks for my inheritance. I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been for you."

Hermione nodded slowly "It really was. Please tell me about yourself Neville, how on earth did you manage to keep a dracken inheritance hidden during school?"

Neville chuckled, and proceeded to explain how his birthday had hit only a few days before on July 30, which thankfully had put his transformation during summer break, so he had had some time to get used to things. But Hermione was barely listening if she was being honest with herself. Instead she was examining him quite closely.

It was appealing to have a mate whom she knew, and last year Hermione was one of many girls who had noticed just how well Neville had filled out into his body frame. Granted, she had never thought of him as a romantic partner before, but looking back, that might have been because Neville kept himself very clear of forming bonds too deep with any of the girls in school.  _Well, I suppose that makes sense if you know that you're going to have to find a dracken mate. Better to keep yourself far away and not risk your heart being broken._

Hermione tuned back in just in time to hear Neville answer Sirius that his father was doing ok, thank you. Still in St. Mungo's, but not getting any worse at the moment.

"Oh! I forgot! You're Frank and Alice's son!" Hermione gasped the words out, "Sirius told me... about my inheritance, because your dad told him! I owe you a thank you!"

Neville smiled indulgently at her "No thanks needed, I'm sure my dad would have said the same. It's an honor to be a help to a submissive in need. So tell me. How has your summer been?"

Conversation continued in an easy way for the entire five minutes, focusing around what they both had been doing for the summer break, and Hermione put a check next to Neville's name on her list. "Is there anything else you want to show me?"

Neville sighed and his hand came up to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah. My dracken is virtually screaming at me to show you my wings and to tell you that I have a sizable inheritance from my parents. I'm well able to care for any children you may have, and I know that... the transition from friend to lover might be a hard one, but I'd be an idiot if I didn't tell you I've been fascinated by you since fourth year."

Hermione was more than a little stunned to hear this. "You gave no clues!"

"Oh I know. That was kinda the point. I had to marry a submissive. I didn't want my heart broken." Neville shrugged out of his shirt and let his wings free. Deep garnet scales faded into thick feathers, and Hermione resisted the urge to run her hands along them. Neville was slightly self-conscious. "I know that they're not as large as some of the others, but I'm only eighteen, I still have some growing to do.."

Hermione held up a hand to stop him. "Your wings are lovely, Neville. I love that color. Gryffindor proud." They shared a goofy smile before the next male could be heard on the other side of the door complaining about how he had to wait.

Neville grimaced and shrugged. "Well, I guess that's my cue. It was lovely to see you Hermione, and... just know, that for me, this wouldn't be a hard transition. I could easily see myself falling head over heels for you, and I could see you doing the same for me." As he walked off, Hermione pondered mating with him. It would be easy. Simple. He had always been a close friend, so she felt that transition would be seamless. She put a small check next to his name on the list before calling in the next suitors.

What followed was an exhausting fifteen minutes with yet another posturing male who refused to talk to her, but rather talked at her. By the time he left, Hermione was relieved and feeling a bit down-trodden. "Is Neville seriously going to be my only good choice?" She mourned to Harry while waiting for the next man to come in. "I have to take at least two mates, but if I have to take any of these men..."

Harry nodded and rubbed her back, "It's ok 'Mione, there's gotta be someone else out there. You're only at M..."

Hermione sighed as the next men came in. Wait. Men? Sure enough, two men came through the door. Their wings were striking, solid gold and silver, perfect compliments to one another. Her dracken preened when looking at them, clearly drawn to the near metallic nature of them. Both of the men had white blonde hair, though the silver male had his cut quite short while the gold male's was quite long...

When Hermione saw the faces though, that's where things became dicey.

"Draco? Lucius?  _Malfoys?_ Really?" With a snort and a giggle Hermione turned to Harry. "It figures. The biggest blood purists in our world... are magical beasts under it all." Both of the Malfoys had turned traitor against Voldemort near the end of the war, but it was hard to shake the idea that they had just turned when it seemed the flow of the war was no longer going their way. Hermione had been... skeptical at best.

Both Lucius and Draco seemed offended for a moment before Lucius stepped forward to introduce himself, bending into a deep bow. "I don't believe we have ever truly been formally introduced, Ms. Granger."

As Draco followed suit, Hermione watched them warily, trying to ignore Harry and Sirius' hands on their wands, and just how tense they were.

"Perhaps not. It's... a shock to meet you, to be honest." It was comical to see Lucius' and Draco's faces bend into matching smirks at her comment.

It was Draco who responded though. "Yes. I'd imagine it is. Most people assumed we were supporting Voldemort for his pure blood ideals. But rather, we were supporting for his stance on 'dark creatures', at least originally. The idea of living without fear of being executed was... heady. By the time we realized we were supporting a crazed megalomaniac... it was too late. We turned to the Order as soon as we felt it was viable to protect our family... but unfortunately the damage to our reputation was already done."

Lucius nodded at Draco's explanation before adding, "We just ask that you give us a fair shot, Ms. Granger. Nothing more."

Hermione pondered the two with narrowed eyes before nodding definitively. "Fine. But know that you have a longer way to go than others." Both Harry and Sirius were visibly upset by this, but Hermione was determined to ignore them. Bigotry had started the war, and maintained it. It would be ridiculous of her to pass it onto them and just start the problem in the other direction.

Both Malfoys seemed relieved at this, "Of course." Said Lucius, settling into the chair across from her. His posture was best described as impeccable. He seemed to be quite relaxed, with his legs crossed, but just couldn't bring himself to slouch at all. Draco on the other hand, sat in the other chair in a much more relaxed manner.

"Please tell me about yourself, Lucius. You have obviously had a wife before, so how did you end up at this meeting?" Narcissa had been killed by the Dark Lord late in the war as retribution for Draco and Lucius' defection.

Thankfully he didn't seem upset by the question. "Narcissa was human, so I was still very much drawn to submissive meetings while she was alive, but chose to leave as soon as I could. I was happy with my wife, she was a fantastic homemaker and loved our son fiercely. Unfortunately, bearing a dracken child was very hard on her body, and she was unable to have other children after Draco. But, when she passed, my dracken was very keen on hopefully finding a submissive I could be with. You must understand Ms. Granger, as far as drackens go, I am quite young. Drackens regularly live two to three hundred years, and so my forty-five is but a drop in the bucket compared to what is to come."

Hermione took some time to digest this. Somehow no one had told her about drackens extended life spans. But when compared with three hundred years...

"Yes, I suppose that would be. Tell me about your interests."

Lucius smiled and nodded, "Of course. I run the Malfoy business, which takes up a great deal of my time, but is not what I would consider an 'interest'. In my spare time I keep my extensive green houses well cared for, I grow specialty potion ingredients for a friend of mine. And, with the help of my librarian, I collect and maintain an extensive collection of rare and interesting books. I suppose those things would count as my interests, but I also like fine dining and all things sumptuous."

"Rare books? Librarian? You have a large enough library in your home you require a librarian?"

"I told you that is what she would latch onto, Father." Said Draco drolly, smiling down at Hermione. "Yes. We have an extensive library that would be yours if you should choose to become Lady Malfoy and mate with either of us."

Hermione had almost forgotten Draco was there. "Oh yes, Draco. Please tell me about your interests."

"Unfortunately, I'm not quite up the standard father is in this area. I enjoy making potions and will be starting an apprenticeship this year with Master Cho from China, which will put me away most of the next four years. But my time since the war has mostly been spent carousing with friends and rebuilding friendships that had suffered during the.. messiness."

"It sounds like you are going to be very busy for the next several years, do you feel yourself in a position where you could take a submissive and a family on?" Harry asked the question Hermione was thinking before she could herself.

Draco glared at Harry for a moment, seeming disgruntled to have to talk to her friend rather than her before answering honestly. "No. No I don't. And while my dracken is sitting here screaming in my head about how much of an idiot I am being... I actually am here to ask to be excused. My current standing just doesn't leave time for the type of time a submissive and children would take. But, I would like to throw my hat behind my father so to speak. He is a fantastic father and husband, and was, while she was alive, a worthy mate to my mother."

Lucius seemed shocked by this announcement. "Draco, we talked about thi-" But Draco cut him off with a raised hand.

"No Father, she deserves better than I can give her right now, and you can certainly provide that. She should know that." Draco was clearly taking no other answer for this.

"Of course you may be excused, Draco. I will... take into consideration what you have said about your father. Thank you both for coming to see me today. Unfortunately, our time is up, but please know that Lucius, you have made it into the next round of interviews."

The older man seemed equal parts relieved, thrilled, and upset by this announcement, but both Malfoys left without a fuss, offering quiet thank yous. The look Lucius had for Draco though promised there would be words shared in private over what he had done.

As soon as they left Hermione whipped around the Harry and Sirius. "Ok, was that... intense to anyone else?" Both Harry and Sirius nodded, but it was Harry who spoke up, though it was clear his petty side was killing him for it.

"Their defection was clear Hermione, they did their best to help with the time they had. I say give them a fair shot."

Sirius' glare was less gracious. "They're a bunch of pompous asses, Kitten. Always have been. But. If you like him... I guess I will get over myself. Just don't expect me to become all buddy-buddy with him. Not happening."

Hermione hugged both men, whispering a thank you into Sirius' ear, before calling in the next applicant.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to AlaskanAppaloosa, my fantastic beta who makes all this possible!
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Hermione wished that after the Malfoys, things would start looking up. But they really didn't. More and more she resorted to dismissing men early, until she got to 'P'. At that point, Hermione threw up her hands and said "Stop. Just. Stop. Just... Bring in Neville."

The man in question seemed quite confused to be brought back in. "Hermione, are things ok?" Neville seemed concerned more than anything else.

What no one was expecting was for Hermione to duck around the security team and touch her hand to Neville's shoulder. "You. I choose you. I'm done with this. I want comfortable and safe. I want you."

She wasn't sure what she was expecting... but it certainly wasn't... nothing. There was no spark. No feeling of belonging. Both Hermione and Neville turned in confusion to the security team. Bart met their gazes and said aloud, "Is something wrong?"

Both Hermione and Neville glanced at one another before turning back to Bart. "There's nothing." Said Neville. "No need to protect her. No bond. My dracken is... ignoring her. Sure. She's there, and I love her... but... nothing. Certainly no mating bond."

"I feel the same." Whispered Hermione, while Bart turned sharply to speak with the others from the security team.

"Stay here please. Invite in no other suitors." The instructions came from Armand, as Bart was already going through the private floo. The next fifteen minutes were tense, with no one quite understanding what was happening. Hermione had retreated to Harry's comforting arms, confused and hurt. Was she defective? Why did Neville's dracken not want her?

When the floo flared again, Hermione started, having been buried quite deep in her own self-doubt. Through the fire place came Sarah, Clara, and the grumpy man again. Both Harry and Sirius became noticeably more tense upon seeing the man come through. "Who spit in his bean curd?" Sirius stage-whispered to the duo, which brought on near-silent giggles from them both.

Sarah was the first to approach Hermione. "Hello, love! It seems we're having some troubles here, hmm? There are only a few very specific circumstances where a mating bond wouldn't start between two unattached adult drackens. One is very easy to test for, the others... not so much. So we're going to try the easy-to-test-for one first, ok?" Hermione nodded fearfully, her hands tensing on Harry's arms.

"What do we have to do?" This came from Neville, who had been equally tense during the waiting period.

"Oh it's quite simple really. Just a potion for each of you, and then a spell! Gerard here," At this, Sarah motioned to the grumpy man, "Is our resident potions maker, and he has brought the required doses."

"Thank you, Sir." Both Hermione and Neville whispered as Gerard handed them small bottles filled with a iridescent blue potion.

"Drink them back completely, and then we will cast the spell." Gerard seemed somehow upset at giving them his treasures, but Hermione resolved in her mind to ignore him, as it seemed nothing made this man happy. She examined the potion for a moment, looking for a hint of what it was before sighing and swallowing it.  _They probably aren't trying to kill me. They need submissives alive in order to grow their race..._ There were no immediate effects that Hermione could discern, which was comforting at least. Neville seemed to be less skeptical of the potion, swallowing it down without even a glance into the bottle.

A few heartbeats later, Gerard raised his wand.  _"Familia Revelio."_ Hermione gasped as both her and Neville glowed a bright white for a moment, before the light faded, leaving a solid blue line running between them. "Interesting." Gerard noted before turning to Clara. "You'd best get Augusta. She's going to want to know."

Clara was already headed to the floo. Hermione and Neville were quite confused, "What does this mean?" Hermione demanded of Bart, who turned smiling eyes to her.

"Wait one moment darlin'. You'll want to see this all play out, I swear it."

Several tense moments later, Augusta Longbottom stepped from the floo, and as soon as she did, bright yellow lines passed from her to both Neville and Hermione. At this point, Hermiones brain was starting to put things together, and she spoke into the silent room. "He's my brother. That's why I can't make a bond with him. He's my... brother, and Mrs. Longbottom. She's my grandmother."

The shocked silence hung in the room for a moment before Neville's suddenly hard and startlingly angry voice cut through the silence. "Explain yourself."

Augusta flinched at her grandson's words, but her eyes hadn't left Hermione. "I'm so sorry. You have to understand. I thought... I thought you were dead."

Neville growled and stalked over to his grandmother. "Explain. Yourself. Now." His eyes flashed a dangerous black, but he kept his clawed hands away from the woman. He tore his pants in more than one place in his effort to keep himself under control.

For the first time since she entered the room, Augusta met her grandsons gaze. "You were born a twin. You and your sister Naomi were the light of your parent's lives. Alice and Frank were so proud of you, their little drackens. You were only fourteen months when  _they_  came." Augustas eyes went distant as she relived that night. "The Death Eaters broke down the door, and Frank yelled for Alice and I to take you and run. We had a plan, you see. We had had a plan for quite some time. I would take you. Alice would take Naomi. We would run to the safe house in the back of the yard, where we would floo to Hogwarts. Your mother was right behind me with Naomi, I swear she was... but when I arrived at Hogwarts... Alice and Naomi didn't follow. I don't know what happened. The baby was never recovered. I assumed..." Here she took a deep shaking breath, clearly disturbed. "I assumed that Bellatrix had taken the child. She was known for her... predilection towards extremely dark arts. I assumed Naomi had been slaughtered in a dark ritual." Augusta turned fearful eyes towards Hermione this time, raising her hands to implore her. "I'm not dracken, you see. I had no way to know if you were alive. I had no... recourse. My son and his wife, were gone. Lost in their minds protecting their family. I was alone with Neville, and you.. you were gone."

Hermione just stared. So many feelings overwhelmed her. Joy, sadness, regret, wonder, anger, fear... Neville was struggling in his own right, but he had more questions. "Why didn't you  _tell me?_ " He whispered angrily, his glowering eyes boring into his grandmother's.

"Tell you what? That you had a twin, but she was gone, sacrificed to a dark ritual? No. It was better you didn't know. Better you grew up missing only two people rather than three. Better you not spend your life fruitlessly searching for someone we knew was gone."

At this Neville snarled and grabbed his grandmother by the shoulders, lightly shaking her. "Not. Gone. Grandmother. Missing. There is a big difference between gone and missing. How could you?" With a snarl he threw his hands in the air, clearly wishing he could throw his grandmother with them. "Leave. Don't come back until I can control myself, or I won't be at fault for any harm that comes to you."

Augusta scrambled to leave, throwing a wistful glance back at Hermione. "When you're ready..." Hermione nodded and motioned her to leave. The floo flared purple and her attention turned fully to her newly-found brother.

Making her way over to him slowly, she made herself as small as possible in her dracken form. Currently Neville was panting and clearly struggling with controlling himself.

"What can I do to help?" Hermione whispered, concern flowing thick in her voice.

"Forgive me." Was Neville's response, and Hermione smiled a sad smile.

"I forgave you a long time ago. I'm just glad I found you. I missed you." Neville choked on a sob and tackled his sister into a hug that she returned wholeheartedly.

The mood was broken though when Sirius piped up. "What the hell! How on Merlin's green earth did Frank have another child and I didn't know! God damn it Frank, of all the secrets to keep!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa! I couldn't do this without you!
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

The dracken counsel took this moment to close down Hermione's interview room, citing the need for privacy. There was a general uproar behind the doors from the dominants, but Bart and Armand enforced the blockade with brutal efficiency. It only took two dominants getting knocked out before the crowd backed down, but the energy in the room was restless.

Clara and the other dracken counsel members watched on, more than a little baffled as Hermione, Sirius, Harry, and Neville talked over one another frantically. The cacophonous banter was interspersed with moments of laughter and many more hugs than she had personally seen most people give. It took about twenty minutes of the crazy talking before some of it started to make sense to anyone outside of the small group.

It seemed that for the majority of the time, Hermione had been filling Neville in on what she believed about her orphanage after he had asked what her home life was like growing up, with Harry and Sirius piping in whenever necessary. Neville, for his part, had remained quite calm right up until Hermione noted that she was fairly certain her orphanage was a front for poachers.

It looked like Neville was going to completely lose it at that point. He started shaking, his claws gouging deep into his thighs, his accelerated healing fixing it so he could do it again. Harry and Sirius watched on in a bit of shock, but Gerard stepped forward and spoke directly to Neville.

"We've already started an investigation. Not a magical one. A dracken one." Neville visibly started to calm at this. "You know what that means. Good, good. There are four drackens assigned to this particular case. They are poring over every piece of paper, tracking down every girl, and going through every shred of evidence. There is also an extensive investigation going on at the male 'brother orphanage' of this one. If there is anything there... we will find it."

Gerards face twisted into a brutal and sadistic sneer as he and Neville locked eyes. "And if we find they have wronged us, we will dispense justice. They will beg for mercy and we will show no quarter." Both Harry and Sirius blanched a bit at this, but Neville and Hermione grinned, baring sharp and cruel teeth.

For a moment, pure, unadulterated blood lust flowed through Hermione's veins. Her body sang with the intensity of it. In the next blink though, she was overcome by confusion. This wasn't normal. No one should be happy thinking about ripping another person to pieces... Gerard happened to catch her confused glance just as Hermione pulled away.

"Don't. Don't run from it. Talk it out." He stated, standing tall again and looking down at her.

Hermione bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself, confusion marring her face. "It's wrong to feel like this. I could rip them apart. We don't even know if they did it. And I could happily rip them to shreds for what they are maybe doing. Without mercy. I could rip them to pieces, revelling in their screams. I can nearly taste how the rush would feel." A chill shook her frame at the idea, but it wasn't in horror, but rather in pleasure.

Gerard and Neville both nodded solemnly, and she could see the other drackens in the room do the same. "This is part of our nature, child. We are creatures of fire and passion. Our ancient ancestors are known for their ability to be fierce guards, especially of their young. That same instinct runs through our veins. We will rend and tear at anything that threatens what is ours. We do not apologize for our nature. We hunt. We kill. We are also tender and loving parents and mates. Our children are our legacy. You should be enraged at what these people have done. Use that. Use the rage to make your blood sing. Fight for what is yours to protect."

Throughout the speech, the drackens in the room had been getting tense, and a low hum of growls started. By the time Gerard was done, the hum had grown into a deep roar that reverberated in the veins of everyone in the room and was met by the dominants outside. A bone-shaking confirmation that drackens were united in this purpose, the protection of what was theirs.

Harry and Sirius, as the only humans present, were more than a bit shaken by the roaring growl. But Hermione? For Hermione it was solidifying. A forging of her soul in ember and flame. A reminder that she would be different, but that difference didn't have to be a problem. She could be fiercely protective and brutal, but also loving and caring and intelligent.

When the roar died down, Sirius turned to Harry and whispered what he thought was loud enough for only Harry to hear. "She's gonna fit in so well here. That brutal side of herself will be in its heyday here."

Hermione squawked and whipped around to growl at Sirius. "Brutal side? I don't have a brutal side! Also, your whispering isn't as quiet as you think."

Harry grinned a cheeky grin at this. "Really? No brutal side? What about Marietta?"

"She betrayed us!" Hermione grumbled defensively.

"Skeeter and the jar?"

"She wouldn't leave you alone!" She was looking more and more like a baby chick with her feathers fluffed out, and Sirius was struggling to control his laughter.

"Uh-huh... and what about Umbridge and the centaurs?"

At this Hermione's eyes glinted with ruthless joy. "She deserved that and you know it."

"Oh we don't debate that, Kitten." Sirius piped in, "But you definitely have a brutal streak. Justice has always been something you are willing to enforce, even if you had to... bend the law a bit to make it happen." Neville and Harry were nodding along, and Gerard was looking curious and slightly admiring.

"Fine. Whatever. Maybe I am a bit brutal. But they deserved it!"

"Yes Hermione." The three men murmured softly, which seemed to appease her very ruffled feathers.

Hermione jumped a bit when the door swung open a bit and Bart popped his head in. "Hey guys? Things are getting a bit tense out here. Perhaps we could save the family gathering for later? Hermione, I know things are tense for you right now, but the dominants are demanding to see you and ensure you are ok. The call got their blood pumping, and I'm not sure that it's wise for us to put them off about this."

A sigh left Hermione, but she rose and went to the door, stepping out and waving to the crowd of dominants outside. "I'm fine everyone. Some family business came up unexpectedly. Thank you all for your concern." Many of the dominants yelled out over the crowd asking for more details, and whether the meeting would be continuing that day, several complaining about how it wasn't fair they hadn't seen her yet.

Hermione held up a hand for silence, which reluctantly fell over the group. "I will be continuing the meeting today, but I'm not certain if I will be able to see all of you. I'm sorry. Please be patient. Thank you." With this she slipped back into the room, ignoring the rest of the hollering for her attention.

With a sardonic smile at Harry and Sirius she huffed as the door closed. "Goodness. It's like dealing with children. 'But I want it now!'" The whiny voice left her and more than one chuckle was heard throughout the room. Her eyes drifted to Neville and softened.

"I'm so sorry. I'm going to have to continue the meeting today. Please, would you come to our place for dinner tonight? I'd love a chance to talk to my brother." A soft smile played at her face when Neville walked over to give her a bear hug.

"And I my sister. It's ok, I was just about to leave anyways. I need to make sure that grandmother is ok... I think I'm in enough control now." Neville's face showed just how doubtful he was of this, but also his humour about it. "If I kill her though and get arrested, I love you. Don't get stuck with a jerk. Give 'em hell." Hermione snickered and smacked him lightly.

"Don't do anything stupid. I'll see you later. Sirius will make sure you can get into the floo at Grimmauld. Say eight?" Another quick hug was shared between the long lost siblings before Neville confirmed that worked for him, then waving his goodbyes to everyone else, left through the floo.

Hermione steeled herself for the next step by walking to Sirius and Harry and asking for a hug. Without a single qualm, both men wrapped her in a bear hug between them, being careful to avoid her wings. She had told them just how sensitive they were, an neither were willing to put Hermione in a situation where she would have to warn them off or make her uncomfortable.

Sirius whispered into the group hug, "Kitten, you don't have to do this. This has been a crazy day. You can walk. This can wait." But almost as he started to talk Hermione was shaking her head, rearing back to look at both of the men.

"I need to do this. Every day I'm not mated I put both of you and myself in danger. This is just the first round. I'll make you guys a deal though." Hermione peeked at the clock hanging on the wall, seeing that it read 4:30. Strange, it seemed later in the day, but then again... she had been sending most males home very quickly. "We'll leave by 6:30." Both men nodded their assent, and released their friend, who sat in the chair provided for her by the counsel as she motioned for Bart to let in the next suitor.

The puffed-up popinjay didn't even make it a full minute in her room before Hermione spat for him to leave her and not come back. He spent the entirety of that minute ranting to her about how  _dare_  she keep him waiting so long.

Bart seemed to take extra special joy in throwing the man out of the room forcibly. Sirius and Harry waved their fingers condescendingly at the dominant as he squawked at being so handled, the former even throwing kisses for good measure. Hermione laughed brightly at their ridiculous antics, which the next dominant coming in lit up at.

"What a lovely laugh."

Hermione took a deep breath and then turned to look at the next man, this time she was pleasantly surprised to see someone in their human form.

"Thank goodness. If I see one more stupid male flash their wings at me like it's something to preen over, I was going to scream." The man chuckled and ran his hand across his thick blonde beard.

"It's been a long day for you I take it?" His blue-grey eyes crinkled around the edges at his smile, and Hermione was struck with the impression that he smiled often.

"Very." Hermione sighed, plopping down in the chair, trying very hard not to pout.

The man's smile only grew as he transfigured a nearby chair to a ottoman with a wave of his wand. He knelt down and tucked it under her feet, being sure not to touch her bare skin at any time. "I'm sorry you have to be subjected to this. It must make you feel much like a piece of meat. I heard earlier that you had to lock down the room for family business, is everything ok?"

Hermione smiled kindly down at him, murmuring a thank you to him before speaking more clearly, "Yes, everything is fine now. Thank you for asking. It's very kind. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

The man straightened to his full height before taking a few steps back from her and bowing slightly. "I am Abraham Sloan, but most people call me Abe. It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Granger." As he straightened, his hands came up to straighten his shoulder-length dirty blonde hair.

"Please, call me Hermione."

"Very well, Hermione. Well, what should I tell you? I like to consider myself pretty down-to-earth. I'm a meat and potatoes, practical kinda man. I love to work hard, then come home to a home full of kids and family. I'm from two dracken parents, so I have a very large family. I have forty siblings, and they have... a lot of children between them. The house is crazy when the family all gets together, and I love every minute. I've always envisioned that for my life."

Hermione ignored the choking sounds coming from Sirius and Harry at the numbers, and her face split into a grin at this idea. Her dracken preened, clearly letting it be known she liked this one. "That sounds amazing, Abe. I am an orphan and grew up in a group home, so to me that sounds like pure heaven."

Abe's grin echoed her own, "It does doesn't it? What are your interests, Hermione? What do you want your life to look like after this whole debacle of trying to find your mate?"

"Mates." Hermione corrected gently, "Any man who mates with me will have to be ok with the fact that the dracken counsel is fairly convinced I will need at least two mates, but potentially three or even four..."

Abe looked a bit shocked by this at first before his eyes darkened to a storm tossed ocean blue. "You're very powerful then. That's... good to know." Sirius snickered and jabbed Harry's ribs at the obvious lust in the man's eyes.

Hermione felt her face heat with a flush before she continued. "Yes. Yes I am. As for what I would like my life to look like after this? If I had a way of making sure everything went perfectly? I would love to sit on the board of a charitable foundation working for orphaned children or disenfranchised creatures. Or perhaps I would work at the ministry part-time. I can't see myself staying home all the time caring for children, but I would like to have six or forty." At this Harry and Sirius once again snorted back giggles. "I realize that being pregnant often might make working hard, but I would still like to try. I want a house filled with laughter and love. I want my children to never be hungry or alone. I want to find mates I can love until the day I die. So, I suppose I just want a normal, big family life."

Abe had relaxed significantly as she stated her wishes, and by the end he was nodding along. "That sounds like a fantastic life. I truly hope you get all your desires."

"Thank you. What do you do for a living Abe?"

"I run a large corporate farming business that my father started. We help small farmers come together and barter with larger retailers as well. It's my pride and joy."

Hermione was sad when Harry poked her and told her that the time they were alloted to Abe was up. "Thank you Abe. You've made it to the second round of interviews. It was lovely to meet you." As Abe turned to leave with another bow, Hermione suddenly spoke out. "Wait. Please. Can I... see your wings?"

"I thought you'd never ask, Angel..." Abe's wings sprouted from his back as scales spread over his face and most of his body. Hermione's breath hitched as she looked at them. They were  _huge_ , which wasn't the most stunning part of them. No, the stunning part was the colour. A bright gold at the tips towards his head, slowly fading to a soft brown, then a soft white at the tips, the wings looked like ripe wheat fields. As Abe fluttered them softly, Hermione was struck by the memory of the rare trips taken to the country as a child, watching the wind blow the wheat, seas of gold and clear skies.

"Thank you. I'll be seeing you soon."

Abe left graciously, his wings shrinking back into his back.

Harry leaned over to Hermione and whispered in her ear, "I like that one. He seemed... normal. We haven't seen many normal people today." Hermione nodded in agreement as she waved in the next dominant.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa!
> 
>  
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Hermione struggled not to coo as the next dominant walked into the room. It was the dark man who had been leaning against the wall earlier, and on closer examination, his wings were much more than black. They were opalescent, the light hitting each feather individually and casting a dark rainbow over them. From a distance, the wings looked black, but up close were truly stunning, an oil slick on dark pavement. Once she got to his face though, Hermione blanched a bit, and understood the strain coming from Sirius and Harry.

 

It was Severus Snape.

 

She swallowed heavily before motioning him to sit across from her, eyeing him warily.

 

“Trust me Ms. Granger, I was just as shocked to find that the submissive was you.” Snape drawled at her, drawing a small smile from Hermione's face.

 

“Please. We're here to discuss spending the rest of our lives together. I think it might be time to dispense with formalities, don't you think so, Professor?”

 

“Indeed... Hermione. Please, call me Severus.”

 

“Thank you... Severus.” The name felt weird on her tongue, but Hermione figured she could probably get used to it.

 

Sirius could no longer contain himself though as he piped up. “Kitten. You can't give this... scum a shot. He's... he's the greasy git!”

 

Hermione whipped around with a snarl to Sirius. “We've had this argument already Sirius Black, and don't 'Kitten' me when you are insulting one of the heroes of our age! Without him and his intel, we would have _all_ died. I would be _honoured_ to be mated to the man who put his life on the line everyday so we could win the war. If you cannot put aside childish boyhood arguments, then shut your stubborn mouth and trust me to make my own decisions!”

 

Sirius visibly shrunk under her ire, and Harry stepped between the two, holding up his hands. “Ok. That's enough from the two of you. We know you disagree on this. You're both entitled to your opinion. What you are not entitled to is potentially ruining someone elses happiness because you don't like someone.” With this Harry gave a pointed look to Sirius, “Or to make your friend feel like crap because they hold an opinion you don't like.” This time the look was given to Hermione. “Now. Hug and make up, then Hermione can get back to her meeting with Professor Snape here.”

 

With a slightly grudging look that promised they would talk about this later, Hermione and Sirius apologized to one another and shared a quick hug.

 

Severus had watched the entire exchange with mild confusion before he commented on the exchange. “So I take it if I get you, I get them too?”

 

Hermione growled a bit, “Yes, and if you don't like it, walk. Now.”

 

Severus smirked a bit before throwing his hands into the air in a mock surrender. “I'm fine with the dastardly duo. I just am unsure if I would ever really be safe in my home if we mated and they were involved.”

 

Harry piped up this time, “If Hermione chooses you, I will personally guarantee your safety from anyone associated with me and mine.”

 

Both Sirius and Severus seemed shocked by this revelation. “Protection from 'the Saviour of the Wizarding world'. That's high praise indeed. Whatever did I do to deserve this?”

 

“It's not what you did. Though she's right. You did save us all. I mean, standard disclaimers apply, you hurt her and I will kill you dead. But. She's a big girl. She's gonna make her own choices, and if it comes down to accepting you or losing my sister? That choice is easy, as easy as breathing.”

 

“Awwwwee Harrrryyy...” Hermione brushed away a stray tear. “I love you too.” Sirius huffed, sitting down and crossing his arms over his chest. At least he was silent.

 

Hermione and Harry returned to their seats, Harry sprawling in a deceivingly carefree way, while Hermione sat gingerly, crossing her legs. “So Severus. Now that the dogs are chained again...” This got a laughing cough from Harry, and a grudging smile from Sirius, “Tell me about yourself. I suppose I know you're very much involved with potions making, I've been watching your articles show up in Potions Quarterly this last year... But what else is there to you?”

 

Severus wandlessly summoned a cup of tea from across the room, sipping it as he spoke. “Yes, I do enjoy potions very much. Much of my time lately has been taken up with that, but I have quite a bit of time since I resigned from teaching at Hogwarts. My order of Merlin provides more than enough funds to live on, let alone what I bring in from royalties on my patents.” It wasn't said boastfully, just factually. Hermione liked that quite a bit. He was confident, but not arrogant.

 

“In my spare time I'm an avid reader, mostly non-fiction, but every once in awhile a good fiction book catches my attention as well. Most of my spare time is taken up with that, but I'm also close friends with Lucius and Draco, and so I like to spend a fair bit of time in their presence as well.”

 

“I met Lucius earlier today, he didn't mention anything about you.” Hermione said with a frown.

 

“That's because I wasn't sure whether I was going to actually throw my name in. For the last several mating meetings, I have stayed only until the urge to stay faded, and then left.” A glance at Hermiones confused face was all it took for him to elucidate, “If mate meetings are bad and objectifying for you, I guarantee they are just as bad for dominants. Many submissives who are born into dracken families, grow up their entire life spoiled and selfish, and bring that selfish nature to mating meetings. Also, I have proven long ago I have no tolerance for dunderheads. I require a mate who can meet me on an intellectual level. So far, none of the submissives I have met meet this requirement, excluding yourself.”

 

Hermione was more than a bit flattered by this. “Thank you, I consider that high praise indeed. I have one question though. You have made your... dislike of children very clear. Frankly, I was surprised you survived as a teacher as long as you did. We're drackens, and I'm going to need more than one mate, that means lots of children. Are you prepared for that?”

 

Severus sneered at her for a moment before answering. “I have never once said I don't like children. I don't like dumb children. Any children of yours are genetically predisposed to being intelligent. I will happily be a parent to those children. At Hogwarts more than half the children were of average intelligence, and many more than half couldn't be bothered to put a modicum of effort into one of the most dangerous magical arts, and surely the most dangerous class at Hogwarts. You'd be frustrated too if your job was keeping them alive.”

 

“I'm more than happy with that answer. I understand intolerance for other's lack of even basic work ethic or intelligence.” Hermione remembered her frustration with Ron, especially at his inability to put effort into his school work. “Yes. I completely understand.”

 

Severus nodded once before adding a question of his own. “What do you want, Hermione? It would be a shame to see your mind go to waste.”

 

Hermione explained her ambitions and hopes to him, getting quite excited, waving her arms and going into greater detail than she had with any other suitor. Snape offering several insightful suggestions, and Hermione was very disappointed when Bart poked his head in and said that they had gone more than double over their allotted time and if they wanted to stay on track for the day, they had to get a move on.

 

At this, Severus stood and bowed shallowly to Hermione. “Thank you very much for your time and consideration, Hermione. It was a pleasure to get to speak with you.”

 

“No, thank you, Severus. It was wonderful. Please note, you've made it onto the list for the next round of interviews. I would very much like if you would come again.”

 

“It would be my pleasure.” Severus said as he left the room with a small wave to Sirius and Harry.

 

After two fantastic interviews back to back, Hermione was feeling quite excited for the next dominant to come in. Her disappointment was palpable when the next man came in. He was beautiful. His wings were large, and a lovely sapphire blue that matched his eyes. But his strut. His chest was puffed out like a penguin, his head held high like he was Merlin's gift to women. Five minutes into his rant about his many accomplishments, Hermione sent him home.

 

The next hour was filled with man after man exactly like him, just different packaging. This one had orange wings, that one had red hair, but underneath they were all the same. Pompous, arrogant, and shallow. More than one got only seconds in her presence before she banished them just for the way they introduced themselves.

 

Her patience was running very thin, and she was considering just calling it a day when in strolled Charlie Weasley.

 

“Oh thank God, someone who won't stick his foot in his mouth!” Hermione cried out, her wings fluttering in agitation and relief.

 

Charlie gave a deep laugh at this. “And here I was expecting to get a question about where's Ron! Nice to see you, Hermione!”

 

Hermione huffed at him, crossing her arms over her chest. “Well, I am a bit shocked to see you here, but I should have guessed. Large family, dragon tamer... Are your brothers and sister drackens as well?”

  

Charlie shook his head, shrugging, “Nah. Bill's a dracken, but as you know he married Fleur last year, so he left when the others did. He told me to tell you thank you, with Fleur expecting it was hard for him to be here. But the others are human- well, Dad's a dracken and Mum's human. He was here for a while, but he's gotten good at fighting the urge to show up. He was only here for a couple minutes, not even enough time to see who the submissive was. He's gonna get a kick outta this!”

 

Hermione chuckled, Charlie's bubbly attitude lightening her mood considerably. “I'm happy to amuse.”

 

“So you didn't know, huh?” Charlie sat in the chair across from her, his head tilting slightly as he waited for her answer.

 

“No, I didn't know. Imagine how shocked I was when I woke up covered in scales, with wings.”

 

Charlie smiled flirtatiously at her, “But you wear it so well! Scales and wings befit your lovely form.” At this, Hermione took a moment to really examine him. Could she take this pseudo-brother and make him something more? He was objectively not beautiful, but attractive. He was short for a dracken, and quite stocky. Again, not fat, but muscular in all the right ways. Those arms looked like they could keep you safe. He had let his hair grow out a bit, giving him a shaggy look, and his freckles were the most intense she'd ever seen, but it didn't detract from his pleasing face. He had an easy and fun personality, and Lord knew that she needed that. Yes. She could see this potentially working.

 

“Not as good as the long hair looks on you. Your mother finally gave up trying to keep it trimmed?” _Oh great, Hermione. Mention his mum. That's exactly what a wizard wants to hear when you're trying to flirt._

 

Charlie smirked at her, as if understanding exactly what was going on in her head. “Thanks, she hasn't cut my hair since I got my inheritance. It turns out? If I want I can just will it to grow back. She got tired of cutting it after the tenth time.” Hermione had a small chuckle at the idea of Molly Weasley cutting Charlie's hair and it growing out in front of her. Charlie continued the interview in a more professional manner though.

 

“I guess this is the place where I tell you how I would be a valuable mate for you. I'm not particularly wealthy, but I have a great job at the dragon reserves that provides a salary capable of supporting a family. My boss is a dracken as well and has arranged for a special floo connection from Romania to whatever house you choose. But I think the best thing I come with? Is my family. My family is huge and very involved with one another. They would be happy to babysit during heats, and have us all over for Sunday dinners, and just about everything else. My mother would adopt every one of your mates as her own, and spoil any children you were to have absolutely rotten. Also. I'm ruggedly handsome.”

 

Hermione could already see it, showing up at the Burrow with a passel of kids and sending them running in the garden, all of them giving mandatory squishy hugs to Grandma Molly. Yes, Charlie was right. His family was very appealing. She knew exactly how lonely a family-less life could be, knew just how coveted that special dynamic was. Her dracken instincts screamed at her to grab this one. To keep him and not let any other submissive steal him, but she fought it. The others had been promised a second round of interviews. Charlie brought the thing she wanted most, a secure and loving family, but the others had positives too, and deserved to have them heard.

 

“Charlie, I want you to know that you have made it to the second round of interviews. I love your family, you know I do. You are familiar and,” Hermione felt her face heat slightly, “Very attractive.” Charlie smirked in response, his eyes heated and daring her to take that further. “But I promised a second round. I will choose my first mate after that. Please tell me you'll come.”

 

“They'd have to kill me to keep me away.” Charlie bowed slowly, his eyes never leaving her. “Until next time, Hermione.”

 

As the door closed behind him, Sirius whistled. “Well. I'm surprised you two didn't jump each other right there. The tension! I thoroughly approve.” Harry nodded, obviously pleased at the thought of Hermione having a family. He knew what it felt like too. Being alone, feeling like you had no one.

 

“The Weasleys are a great family Hermione, but what are you gonna do about Ron?” Harry's question dumped a bucket of cold water down Hermione's back.

 

“Crap.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you so much to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa! <3 
> 
>  
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Hermione was a bit ashamed to say the last three prospects didn't really get fair shots. She was just too distracted with her options. Granted, the fact that they were just a couple more flashing males was a contributor as well. The last one seemed almost nice, which made Hermione feel a bit bad, but when Sirius asked what he wanted in a mate, the man snarled that he wasn't talking to them and that he wanted a housewife who would stay home and raise his children. Both of them knocked him out of the running pretty quickly.

 

The goodbyes to the counsel and the body guards were mostly robotic and routine, with Hermione clearly distracted, but they seemed to understand, not expecting much of her.

 

Harry and Sirius guided her into the floo and yelled out the destination for her. Once she stepped into Grimmauld, her feet took her on auto-pilot to the library, where she sat heavily a chair and contemplated her options.

 

There were only a few males who had even made it into the next round of interviews, far fewer than she expected. Charlie, Lucius, Severus, Ernesto, and Abe. There couldn't be so few reasonable males among the drackens, could there? With a deep sigh, Hermione conceded that perhaps she hadn't given all the males fair shots. It was a very stressful process for them as well, and perhaps that had played a part in some of the posturing. Especially in some of the younger males, sheer stress might have provided the needed strain required. Oh well. She only needed a few mates, and these men had proven they could stay calm in stressful situations. To her that was a bonus.

 

Hermione spent much of her time in the public eye, being Harry Potter's best friend. It was occasionally quite invasive and stressful, and it was nice to know that several of the prospects for her mates were also in the spotlight, and would be used to the pressure.

 

Getting tired of sitting, Hermione jumped up and moved to the white boards, setting the erasers to work erasing the previous day's work with a wave of her wand. As soon as one full board was cleared, she grabbed a purple pen and started writing.

 

She drew a line down the middle of the board, labelling one side Lucius, and one side Severus. On the next board she labelled the two sides Abe and Ernesto, and then Charlie got his own board. Each column then got split into pros and cons. Hermione wasn't so silly to believe these men were or could be perfect.

 

Under Lucius pros Hermione wrote “Well funded.”, “Intelligent.” and “Big library.” But under cons went “Previous Death Eater – Defected” and “History with Harry”

 

Severus was a more confusing one for Hermione. Under pros went “Intelligent.”, “Attractive.”, “Brave”, and “Witty.” But under cons went “History.”, “Rude.”, and “Potentially hard to live with.” It would be very hard to divorce Professor Snape from Severus, but the rewards could be immense if she managed it.

 

Abe and Ernesto both got “No previous history” under pros, while Abe got “Homey.”, as did Charlie. Under Charlies cons went “Ron.” But for both Charlie and Abe “Big family.” got put into the pros.

 

Sirius and Harry came into the library and each grabbed their own markers to add to the boards. Sirius' first contribution was to put “Ponce.” under Lucius' cons. Harry, for his part, added “Attractive to Hermione.” under each man's pros. Sirius scowled when it went under Lucius' pros, but left them alone. Harry considered for a moment before adding “Will challenge 'Moine” to both Lucius and Severus. Hermione added “Considerate.” to both Abe and Ernesto.

 

At this point Sirius left to get food, Hermione hollering after him to remind him that Neville was coming too. Hermione spent a few more minutes pondering the board, while Harry made a note on the other side of Charlie's board that made Hermione laugh. “Need to know: Does anyone cook? Hermione can't.”

 

“You can't either!” Hermione laughed, shoving Harry.

 

“I know, but you guys can't feed your family of a gazillion kids on takeout! You guys'll go broke in a couple months, even if you have Malfoy's bottomless vaults to pull from!”

 

“You're not wrong there, Harry.” Neville said as he pushed open the door to the library.

 

“Oh no!” Hermione exclaimed, “I'm so sorry, Neville! I meant to meet you as you got out of the floo!”

 

“It's ok, Hermione. You guys were loud enough that I could follow your voices.” Hermione had the grace to look ashamed, but Harry had no such compunctions, he laughed.

 

Neville gave both Harry and Hermione a hug before turning to examine the boards. “Why am I not surprised that you have a system for sorting your potential mates?”

 

“Cause you know our girl.” Sirius said this, coming in bearing bags of food. “It's just burgers and fries from down the block, but I figured it would fill the cravings, even for the carnivores over there.”

 

“You know, that's not strictly true.” Neville said as Harry started digging into the bags and distributing the food. “Drackens are technically omnivores, we just go through cycles of when we eat certain things, especially females. Directly following a heat or before mating, a female lives almost completely on meat products, but can in a pinch eat almost anything else as well. In the middle of her cycle, she'll eat a lot of fruits and vegetables as well as the meats, storing up nutrients for egg creation. In the week directly before her heat though, a female will eat almost exclusively cereals and grains, storing up energy for the week of not eating and near constant sex.”

 

“You say heat cycle, but only one solid time, why is that?” Hermione questioned as she dug out the hamburger Sirius had bought for her, a triple with bacon and extra cheese, hold the fries on the side.

 

“Well, heat cycles are very personal to each female. Some females have heat cycles that are only a couple months, some have cycles years long. No one can tell what determines it, and it's impossible to guess what your heat cycle will be before your first mating.”

 

“That's interesting. And you can conceive every heat, correct?” It was Sirius this time who asked, around his mouth full of fries.

 

“No. If the female doesn't have enough mates, or if she's recently had a clutch, or if her dracken instincts sense some danger, there is a chance of a non-fertile heat.” Neville had the manners to swallow his food before answering, to Hermiones great relief.

 

“Is there any median number for how long heat cycles are?” Hermione asked this time, but Neville shook his head.

 

“No. You have to understand. Asking about a submissive's heat cycle is considered very taboo and even threatening.”

 

Harry interrupted, wiping his mouth of the mustard on his burger as he piped up, “Why is that? It's just how often they have babies, right?”

 

Again Neville was shaking his head, “No. No it's not. You don't understand. The heat is our most vulnerable time. We can focus on _nothin_ g but mating. Houses have burned down around couples locked in a heat, taking them with it, but the couple couldn't stop enough to leave the house. Now imagine you're hiding from poachers, and someone knows that every five months or so, they know you're going to be that caught up in something. They could waltz right up and just... take you. Take your children. Kill you while you were locked into the heat. More than one pair has been taken because their heat cycle was leaked to poachers and they were both killed and neither even put up a fight.”

 

The other three faces in the room got very pale at that. “I can see why it's private information.” Hermione whispered. “How do drackens that have families deal with it? Do the heats ever stop?”

 

“Most of the time family takes the children, and the submissive's family gets first shot at choosing to take them or let one of the dominants families take them. Heats stop when a dracken submissive hits about two hundred naturally, but there are some circumstances where heats may stop unnaturally. I know of at least one woman whose heats stopped after she lost a set of triplets while they were all still in the nest. Her psyche just couldn't handle any more babies.” Hermione gasped in horror, her hand going up to cover her mouth. Yes. She could see how that would be horrifying enough to stop having children. Harrys hand grasped hers and he squeezed, offering her silent support, which she appreciated.

 

“Thank you for letting me know, Neville. There are so many questions I have about being a dracken, but I haven't had time to really do enough research. It's frustrating!” Hermione shoved a bite into her mouth petulantly at the end of the statement to laughs from the other three.

 

“Well, no one expects that you're going to know everything, Hermione!” Neville said kindly.

 

“Hey Kitten, you've only been a dracken a couple days, no one is gonna judge you. Just ask your questions when you can, and I'm sure your mate prospects would be happy to answer to the best of their knowledge.” Sirius had sprawled out on a chair, stuffing his face with food.

 

Neville took a minute to grab a pen and add a few things to the board. Under Severus and Lucius cons he added “No family.” but under Abe and Charlie he added “Dracken families.” “This is a big one, Hermione. A dracken family will understand why you have to disappear for a week to ten days every once in awhile, and why you keep having kids. They'll be fierce protectors. I don't know much about Ernesto, he doesn't come to the yearly dracken meetings they hold for us all to socialize, so I don't know his family situation.” Under Ernesto's cons Neville wrote, “Unknown.”

 

“You might consider hiring a dracken investigator to look into this guy before you mate with him if that is the direction you go. They'll dig up everything they can..” Neville nodded and stepped back from the boards, turning to look at Hermione, “Are you ready for the next round of interviews?”

 

“I think so. It'll just be a longer version of today. I can do that.”

 

Neville though, was shaking his head again, “I forget you don't know these things. In the second round of interviews, the dominants bear a gift that signifies their interest in you and financial assets. Be prepared to go into tomorrow knowing you are going to be getting some very expensive gifts.”

 

Hermione's mouth formed into a small shocked 'O'. “Well. That's... interesting. Can't I tell them I don't want anything?”

 

“Well. I mean if you wanted to offend them all? Sure?”

 

“It's wouldn't be the first time Kitten has interrupted the 'natural order' of things and offended tons of people.” Sirius noted with a chuckle, sharing a look with Harry. “Remember when she kept trying to free the Elves at Hogwarts? They were so scared she'd kill them all!” A small chuckle was shared all around.

 

“Plus Hermione, as soon as you released them, they started shopping or looking around family vaults for a suitable gift, and if any of them were like me, they had their gift planned out far in advance. You are far too late to cancel that portion of the interview.” This came from Neville, and immediately made Hermione curious.

 

“Wait, if it's supposed to show how much you know me, how did you have it picked out already?”

 

“Well, most submissives really love jewellery, so there is a whole section of my family vault that is set aside with various jewels for courting pieces, and then there is another section for rare and valuable items for this purpose. As soon as I knew it was you, I mentally chose a very rare first edition 'Potions moste potente' for your courting gift. I imagine many of the other men did similarly.”

 

Hermione sighed and nodded. “Well then fine, I guess I have no choice. Do I have to give anything back?” Neville confirmed she didn't, in fact it was considered tactless for the submissive to do so. Hermione resigned herself to accepting the gifts with grace and thanks.

 

Sirius was the one who broke the questions up, “Ok folks, there's a movie on the telly. One that involves lots of exploding things and I want to watch it. Let's go.” Harry whooped and ran out of the library while Neville was left behind confused.

 

Hermione rescued him. “It's a muggle thing. It's fun. We'll make popcorn, and probably cuddle and giggle way too much.”

 

“Sounds fun.” Neville seemed skeptical, but it was clear he wasn't leaving his sister tonight. “Do I need to worry?”

 

Hermione chuckled, but shook her head. “You're protected, I promise.”

 

The night was spent in the muggle room, with all four of them cuddling in a large pile on the ugly old carpet Harry had found in the attic, yelling at each other and at the screen. Laughter flowed easily, and they once again stayed up far to late. Neville made noises about going home at one point, but Hermione had already fallen asleep leaning on him, and she gripped him hard when he tried to move. At that point he was going nowhere, so he, like the others, fell asleep in the dog pile on the floor.

 

 _'My sister. I'm hugging my sister.'_ The comforting, wondrous thought was his last one before sleep overtook him.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you so much to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa!
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling and all her peeps do. I'm just playing with her toys!

Harry was the first to wake the next morning, but he was nicer about his early waking than Sirius. Rather than jump around and wake everyone up, he carefully extracted himself from where he was laying in the pile, and checked the time. Seeing it was already 9:45, he quietly poked the others, warning that if they wanted to get breakfast and a shower in before the meetings that day, it was time to get up.

 

 

Neville was the first to get up and slip out through the floo to his manor, asking Harry to tell Hermione that if she wanted him at her mate meetings, to send a floo call. Harry promised he'd pass word on as Sirius stumbled out of the muggle room, looking more than a little worse for wear. Hermione was the last to emerge, hollering down the hall for Sirius to let her shower first, because gosh darn it if he wanted to pamper his adorable butt for an hour, that was cool but let her go first because she could be done in ten minutes!

 

 

Harry set out to make breakfast, pulling bacon, eggs, and orange juice out of the fridge and getting them cooking before putting a few slices of bread in the toaster. He also grabbed some chicken breasts that Sirius had in the fridge and threw them in a pan to brown up a bit, because he didn't care if his friend was a dragon-human hybrid. No one should eat completely raw chicken.

 

 

By the time Hermione emerged from the bathroom, covered by only a very large Disney princess towel, the whole house smelled amazing. She pulled up a spot next to the counter and used a piece of pretty cotton she had bought precisely for this purpose to pat dry her hair. “I don't understand how that cretin can spend forty-five minutes in the shower and then another fifteen getting ready. He's worse than a girl!” The last phrase was hollered, and Sirius poked his head out from the bathroom and threw a very unpleasant hand signal at Hermione.

 

 

Harry shook his head at their antics and plopped some bacon and chicken in front of Hermione, along with a glass of orange juice. “Eat. You're gonna waste away with the amount you've been eating.”

 

 

“Yes, Mum.” Hermione smirked at him as she tore off a piece of the chicken and popped it into her mouth. “You too, Harry. Sit. Eat.” Harry obliged her, sitting across from her with a plate piled high with eggs, bacon, toast, and a large cup of orange juice. He set about devouring the entire plate with the kind of hunger only a teenage boy could muster. By the time Hermione had finished her bacon, Harry was already halfway through his second plate.

 

 

“I'm not sure whether I should be impressed with how much food you can pack into that hollow leg or grossed out about how fast that all went down.”

 

 

“Obviously you should admire my skills. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a lying liar.” Harry quipped, throwing her one more piece of bacon as she stood to go back to her room.

 

 

A small chuckle was all she deigned to give him for this before she opened the door to her room. With a small sigh she stepped into her closet once again. It didn't take much time to decide to go with her tried and true favourites, after all, these were her final mate prospects, right? If they couldn't deal with her in her normal clothes, then it was time for them to pass along. She was especially curious about how Lucius would cope with her muggle cut-off shorts. They were a good bit higher than the wizarding world typically thought was proper, though they were perfectly modest by muggle standards. The airy pink floral cap-sleeved blouse she paired them with was one of her favourites, and the white lace that detailed the back and revealed a good bit of her back made her feel gorgeous and sexy. She braided her hair as she looked over her guilty pleasure, shoes. She finally settled on a simple pair of gold sparkly flats, and a headband to match in her hair. Very little makeup finished up the look, and Hermione felt ready to face the day.

 

 

When she emerged, Sirius was nearly done tucking into his breakfast, and she greeted him with a hug and a “No hard feelings about the shower.” He made no promises about retribution, which was scary coming from a Marauder. Hermione vowed to make sure he had time alone to get laid soon so he would forget her transgression.

 

 

Harry told Hermione Neville's message, which she was glad for. It gave her something to do before the meeting. “I'll be back with Neville in a couple minutes.” She hollered over her shoulder as she stepped into the fireplace, throwing some floo powder down at her feet. “Longbottom manor!”

 

 

Once the purple smoke cleared on the other side of the floo, Hermione was surprised by the house she found herself in. Somehow she had been expecting lots of dark woods and reds, but rather she found a manor that was clearly inspired by French villas. White marble and faux-Greek pillars graced the walls and floors, and the portraits were housed in thick gold frames. The furniture was mostly white, with hints of gold, but all obviously well-made and maintained.

 

 

Neville had come into the study when he heard the floo flare, and greeted Hermione with a hug. “Good morning! I'm ready to head out if you are?”

 

 

“Yes. Is this... do you live here all the time?” Hermione's question was tentative and shy, but her eyes were busy taking in every detail of the room.

 

 

Neville's eyes softened slightly in a smile as he looked down at his sister. “Yes. I live here full-time with grandmother, I'd be happy to offer you a full tour once your mating meeting is over.”

 

 

“I would love that. Your... our.. grandmother wants to have some time to chat with me too. I'm not sure how I feel about that.” Hermione admitted, her apologetic eyes meeting Neville's. “What's she like?”

 

 

Neville took a moment to ponder this before answering as honestly as he could. “She's... strict. I think losing dad and mum really took a lot out of her. She loves me, I know that. But she's not the kind to be... overly affectionate. Don't expect kisses or hugs or a teary reunion. It's just not her style. She'd be more likely to set you up a trust fund and try to show her love in more practical ways.”

 

 

Both young people stepped into the floo and Hermione cried out “Grimmauld place!” as Neville threw the powder. The security team was already in the kitchen by the time they stepped out of the fireplace. Hermione greeted each of the men by name, and learned that Harry had already offered each of them a drink or some food.

 

 

Harry stumbled out of his bedroom pulling on a grey t-shirt, and apparently he was the last one they were waiting for, because Bart stepped into the floo and it didn't take long for the rest of the crew to follow. It was a relief to see the dracken counsel halls quite empty. The press of bodies yesterday had been quite overwhelming. Bart informed Hermione that the interviews today would be held in one of the smaller meeting rooms, helping them feel more intimate.

 

 

The security team showed her into the room, which had been outfitted with a sofa for her friends to sit on, and two large comfy chairs for her and her suitor to sit. There was also a table for her to stack her gifts on, and a buffet off the side that had dainties and a coffee pot and a tea set as well. The overall effect was comfortable and relaxed. It was a relief after how formal everything had felt the day before.

 

 

Hermione settled into the chair, and let Bart know she was ready for the first suitor to come in. After only a moment, Lucius Malfoy stepped in the door, gliding in to bow slightly in front of her. “Good morning, Hermione.” Hermione nodded and motioned for him to sit, but he instead reached into his robe and pulled out a shrunk package that with a wave of his wand, he returned to it's original size. “Please accept this gift as a token of my esteem for you.”

 

Hermione took the gift from Lucius' hands with a quiet thank you, setting the present on her lap before tearing into the gold paper. ' _Please don't be real gold',_ Hermione prayed as her fingers tore through it. When she lifted the lid from the box, she was stunned to see an amazing pair of custom gold shoes, with a fine sparkly dusting on the stiletto heel.

 

At her stunned silence, Lucius cleared his throat and spoke. “I will admit, I did some reconnaissance on this particular gift. I am sure you were expecting to get books from every man here... but you already knew about my library. I wanted to show you another area of my life. These shoes are custom Louboutin shoes. They are spelled to be comfortable no matter how long you wear them, and to never let you trip or roll an ankle. Draco had to do some digging to find your shoe size, which is impossibly tiny, and that you have narrow feet. The finish is done with real gold and diamond dust, for a perfect sparkle.”

 

Hermione stared wide eyed down at the shoes, totally overwhelmed by the fact that she probably held tens of thousands of pounds in her hands. “I.... I...”

 

“Hermione, please look at me.” Lucius said kindly, smiling when her wide eyes met his. “I know that for you, this is a very large purchase. But for me, it was simply providing something that you enjoyed. One of Draco's friends remembered that you loved shoes in Hogwarts, and for me, money is no object. Please, enjoy the shoes. If you are my mate, there could be many more just like them. I love all things luxurious, and if shoes are your guilty pleasure, it would be my immense pleasure to indulge it. And I will feel no guilt.”

 

“I think you misunderstand me a bit, Lucius. You couldn't pry these shoes from my cold, dead hands. These are the most beautiful shoes I've ever laid eyes on. I was just.. shocked with the price tag, and the fact that you of all people, somehow figured out how to give a non-book gift. You see. All my friends give me books. It's the.. default setting if you will. It's very rare I get other gifts, let alone ones that are so thoughtful and well researched. Thank you very much. I will treasure them always.” Hermione's eyes roved back down to the shoes, stroking them softly. “They're so pretty.” She whispered, and Lucius smiled indulgently.

 

“I'm glad I chose correctly. Now tell me. How was your evening? I hear you found a long-lost brother?” Hermione chatted easily with Lucius, surprised by how simple conversing with him was. He was an attentive listener and thoughtful conversationalist. She could easily see how this would flow into a healthy relationship.

 

Eventually they turned to what Lucius' work encompassed, and while Harry and Sirius' eyes glazed over, Hermione was fully engaged, particularly when Lucius noted that they had been looking into bring muggle inventions to the wizarding world. “We have been invested in many muggle companies for some time, but so far very little of that technology has transferred over, I would like to see that change.”

 

Hermione was very excited for this information and immediately responded, “We actually have a muggle room at Grimmauld place where I have brought over many of my favourite muggle conveniences.” Lucius seemed genuinely interested in seeing this room, and Sirius grudgingly agreed he would allow Lucius access if he mated Hermione, which resulted in a crushing hug from said woman.

 

The hour flowed easily and when Bart announced it was time to let in the next suitor, Hermione found herself disappointed.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my amazing Beta AlaskanAppaloosa! <3 
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter!

**Chapter 15**

 

Hermione's mood didn't stay in a slump for long though, because when Lucius gracefully bowed out of the room, Abe came in, carting with him a fairly large package. Hermione was amazed when he got fully in the room and enlarged it even more, until it was quite large, about five feet by four feet she would guess.

 

Curious part of her nature did battle with her polite self, and while the polite self won, it was by a small margin. “Hello Abe, how are you this fine morning?”

 

“Hello, Hermione!” Abe bowed a cheeky bow, and then motioned to the crate. “I can see it in your eyes darlin'. You want to see what's inside. Go for it, it's yours after all!”

 

Hermione was nearly bouncing as she dug into the purple wrapping paper. Harry and Sirius were both chuckling at her visible disappointment when she uncovered a crate. With a matching chuckle Abe instructed her to pull it apart, and to her surprise, Hermione could do so with ease. For a moment she was so caught up with the novelty of her newfound strength, that she nearly forgot about the gift inside, but once she clued in, Hermione was absolutely thrilled.

 

“I know you grew up muggle, and I figured you'd enjoy an homage to your heritage. She's great for a beginner, and she was custom-painted for you by my sister, I didn't think you'd be into the green she normally comes in... and of course I did some work on the engine to give her some extra pick up and go. I have one of my own, and my family has a large forest on their land I'd love to take you through...”

 

Hermione's eyes feasted in the amazing ATV he had gotten for her. The paint job was stunning, made to look like a stormy night with beautiful lightning flashes cutting across it.

 

Sirius was already peeking at the engine, looking under the seat to get a good view. Hermione shoved him out of the way to take a seat on the vehicle, gripping the handlebars. “Oh my gosh. I want to go riding this like... now.” Her eyes took on a slightly wild tint as she turned back on the bike to look at Abe. “I'd race you.”

 

“Oh bring it on, Princess. I'll take you, anytime, anywhere.” The heated look he shared with her made her throb in all the right places. A cheeky grin blessed her face as she stood up on the foot rests, giving Abe a clear view of just how well those cut off jeans fit her form.

 

A slightly strangled groan came from behind her and suddenly Abe was standing close enough behind her she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. “You're playing with fire, Princess.” A shiver traced down Hermione's back as her dracken virtually purred.

 

“Maybe I like fire.” The words escaped her before she could think them through, but suddenly Bart was stepping between her and Abe, and the later was in full dracken form, taking some very deep breaths and obviously fighting a losing battle to get himself under control.

 

“Oh gosh, Abe. I'm so sorry... I didn't... think.” Hermione flushed as she jumped off the ATV, moving towards the dominant before Bart waved her off.

 

“Give him a minute. He knew what he was doing, getting that close.” Bart gave a long suffering look to Abe before continuing, “He's always been one to push the boundaries a bit. He'll be fine.”

 

It took about three minutes before Abe was in control again, but once he was, he turned a winning smile to Hermione. “Worth it to make the pretty lady lose herself a bit.” A tinkling laugh was what he got in response.

 

“All the same, I think some distance might be a wise choice.” Hermione indicated for Abe to sit in one of the comfortable chairs the dracken counsel had provided while she sat sideways on the ATV. “Tell me about your family. You said you have forty brothers and sisters?”

 

“Yes, I currently have forty siblings, though my mother is pregnant again, so that number will be changing soon.” The enormity of the numbers of just how many children full-blooded drackens could have suddenly hit Hermione hard.

 

“Is that what I should expect as well? Forty or more children?” Hermione honestly couldn't decide if this thought thrilled her or made her so panicked she wanted to run for the hills.

 

Abe was nodding slowly, watching her face intently. “Yes, though my mother has children faster than most. Her heat cycle is very short, so her numbers are a bit higher than most for the point of her life she is at... but dracken submissives regularly procreate well into their eighties, and sometimes far later. My mother is eighty-five, so she is fairly certain this will be her last clutch.”

 

The world spun for a moment before Hermione fully processed those numbers. Abe on the other hand continued. “Hermione, I know that for you and your world, these numbers are very high. But in my world, they are perfectly normal. Yes, my family is large and a little crazy... well, more than a little crazy... anyway, we're not all drackens, and some of my siblings aren't even magical. The house isn't quite as insane as it would be with forty drackens running around, and most of us don't even live at home anymore...”

 

“Wait.” Hermione threw up a hand, her face pained. “Some of your siblings aren't even magical?”

 

Abe knew what she was thinking as soon as she said it. “Yes, and they have normal human lifespans. If ever you meet my family, you will meet my brother, Harold, who is a non-magical. He's sixty years old, and very happy with his muggle-born wife and their two children. My parents resigned themselves long ago to watching some of their children age and die while they remained as they were.”

 

“How awful for them.” Hermione whispered, her eyes pained and sad.

 

“Yes, it is painful. But also beautiful. My family are all so different. But our differences forge us into a stronger unit. My brother will never lack for anything, and neither will my other non-magical siblings. They are immersed in a world that most people don't know exists, and frankly? They don't want your pity, and neither do my parents. They just want to live their lives to the best of their ability.” Obviously this was an old and tender wound, and Hermione's heart broke for this family. What had been said to leave them so raw?

 

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to step on toes. I guess I just didn't consider this as what is potentially going to be part of my life. Please forgive me.” Hermione's apology was heartfelt and earnest, and Abe smiled in response.

 

“It's not your fault, Princess. You didn't know. There are those in our... society... who view non-magical children born to drackens as aberration, and advocate for drowning them upon birth. My parents were instrumental in making the laws that made that act illegal, but it was a recent thing, and many still hold old-fashioned views. It has more than once created tension at the yearly dracken meetings when we bring my non-magical siblings.”

 

Hermione and her two friends horror at this piece of information was palpable, but Hermione managed to respond with some grace, “I'm so glad your parents have taken steps to correct this injustice. I can't... imagine...”

 

“Most drackens can't. But we're not all the same, and Merlin knows we're not all perfect.” Abe shrugged, then delicately changed the subject. “Please, tell me about your life growing up.”

 

Hermione animatedly told him about the orphanage, leaving out the details she recently found out and instead focusing on her personal interactions with the other girls and matrons. Before long though, her time with Abe was up, and he politely bowed out, reminding her she promised him a race. She swore she would kick his butt later and he left with a smile and a wave.

 

There was a bit of a gap before the next suitor came in, which gave Hermione some time to turn and address Sirius and Harry. “So? What do you think so far?”

 

“I think I'm gonna bankrupt myself trying to buy all your kids birthday presents.” Sirius drawled, earning a stuck out tongue from Hermione.

 

“I like Abe. He's... chill. You need chill. He also seems like he knows the ropes of the dracken world fairly well as well, which is valuable to you, both long and short term.” Harry was the one who noted this, and Hermione fully agreed. “Also, he brought you a non-book but still amazing present. That's fantastic.”

 

“Ok. Then he's still fully in the running. I wonder just how many mates I'll actually need?” Hermione mused, but at that moment the next suitor entered the room.

 

A small pang of disappointment hit her as Ernesto entered the room. She greeted him very neutrally with a simple hello and he bowed low in response. “Hello Hermione. Please accept this gift.” He held out a small but beautifully wrapped box. Tearing into it, Hermione had to fight slight disappointment when she saw a glimmer of jewels. Opening the box fully, she eyed the beautiful diamond necklace and earrings contained. It wasn't that they were lovely. It's just that the gift was clearly pulled out of a list of 'things women like', and was very much not something she would have reached for herself. Still, Hermione thanked Ernesto profusely, holding up the necklace to her throat for him to see how it would look. “They're beautiful, thank you.”

 

The meeting was, in a word? Bland. Mostly small talk was made, and no chemistry seemed to spark between her and Ernesto, which was disappointing. He seemed to know about halfway through the meeting that his chances were slim, because he visibly relaxed and just chatted. Hermione found the interaction pleasant, but nothing groundbreaking. She was quite relieved when the timer was called, though she thanked Ernesto for coming to the meeting, she promised no further interactions.

 

After the door closed behind him, Hermione turned to Bart and asked simply, “What do I do with the gifts given to me by dominants I reject?”

 

Bart seemed confused by the question, “You keep them. They're for you.”

 

“But... they aren't... Am I going to offend him if I give this back?” Hermione motioned to the jewelry, frustrated sigh escaping her as Bart nodded solemnly.

 

“If you give it back, you're basically saying that he has to have it back to be able to give a proper gift to the next submissive. It's a terrible insult. I've seen it done only once in my lifetime, and the male suffered under the shame of it for years.” Bart explained patiently, “Keep it for your sons to use to court their mates.”

 

Hermione sighed once again as she tucked the jewels away, but her frustration quickly faded as she caught sight of the door opening again, this time admitting Severus Snape.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always to my amazing Beta AlaskanAppaloosa! 
> 
> I don't own Harry Potter or anything else you recognize! 
> 
> To those who left reviews, thank you so much! 
> 
> I have NO Idea how to turn this to incomplete, so I'm sorry to those who are here because of that.

Chapter 16 

Of all the meetings, Hermione was most trepidatious about this one. Severus was... complicated. The history with him was obviously very mixed. He was brave and loyal, and potentially the most intelligent person she had ever encountered. He was also sarcastic, rude, and unashamedly the worst professor she had ever had. The role he played during the war as a spy had meant that his interactions with his students, including her, had been in a word, terrible. There was also the 'had a serious crush on Harry's mom' thing that could make things incredibly awkward. But there was also a part of Hermione that whispered, “But if it worked... it could really work.” And so here she was, greeting Severus Snape with a cheery hello and hoping he was as nervous as she was for this second interview. 

“Hello Hermione. Thank you for allowing me to be here today.” Hermione had almost forgotten just how that voice that could be so cutting and harsh could also be so silky and smooth. With a small smile she returned his bow with a nod of her head. 

“Hello Severus. It is a true pleasure to have you here.” 

The smile that graced his face shocked her a bit, but not in a bad way. Rather, it took the harsh lines of his face and made them pleasant and almost kind. His face still wasn't conventionally handsome, or even particularly open or trusting, but it was striking. He had shed his heavy robes for this meeting, instead he had donned a muggle leather jacket, black jeans, and a white t-shirt. It gave him a rather devil-may-care look that Hermione found wildly attractive. 

He carried with him no packages, which was a mild relief for Hermione. The last two gifts had been wildly extravagant, and she just wasn't sure she was adequately prepared to handle another. “How has your day been, Severus?” 

“Very well, thank you. Most of my morning was spent sequestered in my lab, preparing and sorting ingredients. It was quite relaxing.” 

Before he could continue or returning her question, Hermione's curiosity reared its head. “What were you preparing? Do you keep extensive stores? Who do you brew for?” 

Rather than being offended, Snape seemed amused by her questions. “I was grinding moonstones and processing a large order of exotic ingredients a friend of mine sent me from India. I do keep quite extensive stores in my lab, I loath having to interact with the general public every time I run out of valerian. Currently I brew for St. Mungo's, and I continue to brew for the Hogwarts infirmary as needed.” Severus shifted, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small vial. “But most of my time lately has been taken up brewing this.” 

He stood and presented the small vial to Hermione with a small bow. Hermione examined the potion inside the bottle critically. It was a lovely blue color, very matte, and quite thin in consistency. With a questioning look at Severus, she popped the lid, and at his nod, took a small sniff. The only scent she could pick up was a very slight menthol. “I don't believe I have every encountered this potion before. May I ask what it is?” 

“It is the Calor Parvam.” A sharp inhalation from Bart was Hermione's first hint that this wasn't as innocuous as it seemed. 

“Please tell me about this mysterious Calor Parvam.” Hermione turned her attention fully back to Severus, her analytical mind already cataloguing what she knew of the potion. 

“This potion, when taken within the week before a heat, will guarantee a non-fertile heat.” 

“Wait.” This time it was Harry who spoke up, interrupting Severus. “If such a thing exists, why don't dracken females take them all the time? It's essentially dracken birth control, correct?” 

Severus' glare could have withered plants, but he answered Harry's query. “The ingredients in this potion are incredibly rare, one ingredient in particular. A single flower that blooms only once a year, that grows only in one spot on the entire globe, and must be fertilized in a very particular way to make this potion. It took me extensive bribery to get access to enough of the distilled oil to create enough Calor Parvam for one heat. Besides the difficulty of obtaining ingredients, the brewing process takes a minimum of mastery level skills. Even for myself it was difficult.” 

Hermione's eyes widened as her eyes flitted between the potion and the potions master. “Severus, this is far too generous. I can't...” 

But a glare from the man quieted her, and suddenly she felt very much like a young girl who had lipped back to her professor. “Hermione. It was a pleasure to brew this for you. I know you are quite worried about how your life will look if you have to have children whenever biology dictates to you. I hope that you will keep this potion, and at a time when you personally feel that you cannot have any more children without losing what your remarkable brain has worked so hard for... use it.” 

The intensity of what Severus had offered her hit Hermione like a ton of bricks. He offered her the luxury of choice. For this entire process, she had felt out of control. As if her choices were being dictated by biology, and she was just along for the ride. Severus offered her, however briefly, the chance to dictate her own life again. Tears welled up in her eyes, and Hermione struggled to stop them from spilling over. 

Hermione Granger, you will not cry in front of Severus Snape, even if he does something so sweet it makes your teeth ache. She mentally berated herself, blinking away the tears. If Severus saw them, he tactfully chose to ignore them. It took a couple of moments before Hermione could finally get her voice together to whisper, “Thank you Severus. I will treasure this. Very much.” 

Severus smiled at how tightly she clutched the small vial. “It's shelf stable for up to ten years, as long as it's stored between sixteen and twenty five degrees celsius. When you take it, remember to ingest it with food, as it will make your stomach quite upset, and I'm sorry, but it will taste quite awful.” He settled back into the chair, crossing his left leg over his right, but maintaining quite proper posture. 

With a deep breath, Hermione passed the potion to Bart, who had taken out a small wooden box lined with red velvet to store it in. Bart took the moment to address Hermione. “I would keep the fact that you have this potion quiet. It's... not strictly illegal in dracken culture... but it's not exactly thought well of either. Congratulations on the thoughtful gift.” 

Hermione nodded in understanding before turning back to Severus. “Thank you again. What else are you working on right now?” 

The rest of the meeting was spent talking over the finer points of potions theory. It turned out that Severus had been working extensively on curing Lycanthropy, and Hermione was very interested in the changes he was making to the Wolfsbane base to achieve the change he felt would fully suppress the wolf. Harry tried to keep up for a couple of minutes, but eventually gave up, and Sirius had tapped out long before that. 

It turned out that Severus had been working with Neville to create a variation on the wolfsbane plant, which was going well, and Neville made it be known that he would be happy to have Hermione take a peek at the plants the next time she was brave enough to visit his manor. 

Neville had stayed very quiet through the interviews, keeping to himself and not voicing an opinion on the potential mates. So far none of them had made any serious faux-pas, and Hermione was clearly able to deal with them herself. When Severus turned to leave, saying his goodbye's to Hermione, Neville was a bit shocked to have his sister whip around to address him as soon as the door closed on his former potions professor. 

“If I mated with him... could you deal? I know he was quite terrible to you as a child. I wouldn't want to have a mate you hated...” 

Neville was flattered to have his opinions taken into consideration. “We've been getting along quite well for the wolfsbane, I see no reason that won't continue. I think he really just hated having to keep my alive during potions. My skills lie elsewhere.” Hermione grinned at him brightly, because she was certain this was true. Neville truly had been a hazard in potions, even after she had gone out of her way to partner with him to mitigate the damage. But his skills in Herbology were truly amazing. 

“Ok. Let me know if it ever becomes a problem. I mean, I can't really go back on it if we ever end up mating... But I'm sure I could make his life a living hell.” 

Neville chuckled at the truth of the statement, but before the conversation could continue, the door was opened to admit Charlie.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to jtt who has been leaving comments on here! TBH, I had planned on no longer publishing on AO3 because it's an extra step and I felt I wasn't making any traction on here! Thanks to you, I'm going to keep publishing here! 
> 
> Thank you to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa, who takes my crazy and makes it magic.

Charlie swaggered into the room, and Hermione for the first time got a good look at his tattoos. He had chosen to wear a sleeveless shirt and what she suspected were dragonhide shorts, which left a lot of his skin fully exposed. While Harry and Sirius greeted him, Hermione's eyes traced the Chinese-style black lined dragon that started on his left wrist and curled around his arm and up his shoulder. The work was detailed and anatomically correct, which fit so well with his personality. Looking down his body, Hermione's eyes picked up the hint of trees or flowers at the bottom of his shorts and ascending up his thigh.

Hermione's eyes flicked up to meet Charlie's for just a moment, and she flushed to see him smirking, clearly noticing her attention. "Hello Hermione."

"Hello Charlie. It's nice to see you. How was your evening last night?"

"It was amazing actually, Mum spent all night grilling me on you and how you're taking this change. She told me to invite you over later this week, and made it very clear that you were invited even if you chose not to mate with me. But I personally would be heartbroken if that was the case." Charlie's flirty grin was met by Hermione's own.

"Well we couldn't have that, now could we? It's so sweet of your mother to invite me over. I'll make sure to stop by..." Hermione drifted off, unsure if she could actually hold to that statement, as today she intended to pick a mate and she honestly wasn't sure if he would be up for it.

Charlie saw her dilemma right away and rescued her, "There's no pressure, both Mum and I understand that you are going through a lot right now, Mum just thought you might appreciate having someone you can talk to who isn't a male who's trying to get in your pants, but still understands about dracken culture."

Bart, surprisingly, was the one who spoke up. "Hermione, Molly Weasley is well-respected in the dracken community, and I think it would be a wise choice for you to take her up on the offer. I suspect you have been bottling some things up that might need to be talked through." A knowing look passed from him to Hermione, and she just nodded, being unable to deny the truth of it.

"I'll take that into consideration, thank you all of you." A cheeky grin passed over her face as Hermione twirled to look at Charlie. "So. I hear you're supposed to bring a present. Hand it over."

Charlie pulled a small package out of his pocket that he enlarged and held behind his back. "Now that's not asking very nicely..." At Hermione's fake pouting though, he chuckled and handed over the package.

Hermione's hand tore through the wrapping paper that clearly came from Molly's store of paper in the attic, because it was red and covered in small candy canes. "Christmas paper? Really Charlie?" Charlie just shrugged as she gave him a long-suffering look. Hermione shook her head and laughed just how apathetic he was about the wrapping. When her hand touched the contents of the package though, her laugh turned into a gasp. Letting the paper drop to the floor, Hermione held up the beautiful white dragon hide robes that had obviously been custom made for her.

"Mum kept your measurements from her sweaters..." Charlie seemed a bit nervous about how she would take the beautiful gift. "The dragon wasn't killed for the hide, which is why it's not quite as luminous as normal skin, rather it's a shed skin from a Antipodean Opaleye. It is spell resistant, and will keep you safe from most burns when you wear it." Hermione grabbed the top seam, letting the beautiful robes fall naturally. They were beautiful, soft and supple, feeling like the smoothest of snake skin, and yet somehow seemed to bear an inner warmth. With a quick flick of her arms, she slipped on the robes, noticing for the first time the large panel that was removed at the back to leave room for her wings when she was in dracken form. She spun slowly, watching the robes flow and move through the air. Uncaring of her clothing, Hermione let her dracken out, her wings ripping through the top seams of the pretty pink shirt. The opaleye skin was just a shade more creamy than her stark white, but the effect was stunning, her scales blending almost seamlessly with the robe, which was fitted at the top and flowed out from her hips in swathes of fabric.

Charlie's eyes were heated and bright as he took in her form in the robes. "You are stunning. I knew you would be." Orange scales spread across his body, his black tattoos standing out in stark relief along them. Finally his wings spread behind him, the color of new flames, all different shades of orange. "There isn't much that could keep you as safe as being held in a dominant's wings... but that set of robes will be second best. I wanted to make sure you would be safe. Drackens are... volatile. I would hate for your beauty to be marred by a stray claw."

Hermione's wide eyes turned to meet his, heat flaring through her as she realized her dracken had made a choice. This man, who had taken her safety into account first and foremost with his gift. This man, who had a family who would love and include her as if they were her own. This man, who looked at her with blue eyes so deep she swore she could drown in them. She wanted him.

Her feet moved her a step forward, but Harry stepped between them, his hand reaching out to stop Hermione from moving. "Woah there. Don't make a rash decision." Only Bart's quick movement kept Harry from getting a set of claws to the face as Hermione lashed out at the human standing between her and her chosen mate. She caught the vicious snarl that escaped her with a groan, turning burning eyes to Harry.

"I'm sorry. Please. I've made my choice, and... I can't..."

Neville nodded for Harry, "We know, Hermione. Once the dracken has decided... the urge to settle the bond is sacrosanct. We should have warned Harry and Sirius. Please. You have chosen your mate, go claim him."

Charlie's open arms met her near running jump, and he supported her small body as their lips met. Fire. Hermione swore the mating bond felt like fire in her veins. Charlie's orange wings folded around them, affording them a certain amount of privacy as the kiss deepened. When Hermione finally pulled back for air, Charlie's lips drifted down her neck, sending shivers of sheer pleasure down her spine. "Charlie... I... I'm not read-"

A comforting growl met her trepidation. "I know. We have all the time in the world. I swear this won't go any further than this." The declaration made, Hermione's hand twisted into Charlie's hair, dragging him back up for another heated kiss. Small mewls and growls left both the drackens as the intense clash of teeth nicked a cut in Hermione's lip, the coppery taste only fanning the fire in them both, though the cut healed as quickly as it was made. Finally, with a clearly reluctant sigh, Charlie lowered her feet to the ground, opening his wings so the others could see the pair.

Hermione peered out, her arms still entwined around Charlie's waist, while his crushed her to his chest.

"What now?" Hermione whispered, wrenching her eyes away from Charlie for a moment to look at Bart.

"Now you have a couple of options. The mating bond has formed, but does not have to be consummated before your first heat if you don't wish to. For his part, Charlie will feel intensely protective of you, and unwilling to let you out of his sight, because in this time between the bond and the first heat, the bond can still be interrupted. I recommend you choose a place you are comfortable, and stay there tonight getting to know one another better."

Immediately Harry piped up that she was, as always, welcome in Grimmauld place. It was her home, and that wouldn't change just because she came home with a mate.

Charlie took a moment to internally debate this before nodding. "I want you comfortable, love. My dragon-keeper's hut isn't exactly made for comfort. I assume that sometime in the next weeks we are going to need to go house hunting, but for now, Grimmauld place sounds perfect." Through the entire statement, Charlie's hands had not stopped running across Hermione's back, cataloguing each curve and dip, and generally being distracting, so all Hermione could form in response was a small nod.

"What about the others?" Hermione ignored Charlie's low growl at her concern for the other dominants.

Bart answered, seemingly amused at Charlie's antics. "We will inform them that the hunt for your first mate has been completed. But as we are fairly certain you will need at least one more, we will tell them to stay close. You may even choose, once your mating bond with Charlie is firmly established and consummated, to continue your mating meetings, getting to know each of the dominants in that time. You may find that you feel less pressure that way."

Hermione nodded, sinking once again into Charlie. "Let's go home." The brush of her lips against his shoulder was enough for Charlie to lift her once again into his arms, cradling her against his chest. For a moment Hermione considered protesting that she could walk on her own, but the comforting heat of his broad chest was just too good to pass up.

"Excuse me, gentleman. My mate wants to go home." Charlie stated the words as he was already walking towards the floo, clearly not waiting to be dismissed.

Harry and Sirius followed behind, having a quiet conversation between them. "I told you. I knew she'd pick him first." Harry said, clearly gloating.

"Well forgive me for thinking the girl might take farmer boy first." Sirius retorted, eyeing Charlie from behind. "She's got good taste though. The Weasleys are a good family, a light family. Hermione needs that in her life."

Harry shoved Sirius a bit, laughing as the older man stumbled. "Doesn't change the fact that you owe me ten galleons, old man."

Neville had hung behind, clearly conflicted about whether or not he was invited, but Hermione peeked her head over Charlie's shoulder to settled his doubts. "Neville? Aren't you coming?"

The smile he bestowed on her was bright and full of love. "Of course, oh dear sister of mine."

"Oh I like that. Feel free to address me like that all the time." Hermione retorted as she settled back into Charlie's arms.

Charlie rumbled a laugh as he turned his head over his shoulder to address Neville. "Careful, you'll give her a big head." Hermione squawked at the indignity, swatting at Charlie's chin. A deep, harsh growl met the movement. "I wouldn't do that, Love. You might not like the consequences."

"Bring it on." Hermione leaned up to whisper in his ear, and he growled loudly in response, sending more of those delicious tingles up and down Hermione's spine.

"Oh, Love. You don't know what you've started." Charlie rumbled in her ear before he stepped into the floo, grabbing a bit of powder and calling out "Grimmauld Place!". They landed with a swirl of purple smoke, and Charlie immediately marched off to what he knew was Hermione's bedroom, throwing a "We'll be back in a moment." To whoever it was that came through the floo next.

Guessing by the "Don't forget to use protection!" That followed, she guessed it was Sirius. She threw a one finger salute to him from over Charlie's shoulder, but he just laughed in response.

Charlie swung open the door, slamming it shut behind him, perhaps with a little more force than he intended, as the house fairly shook with the impact. He gently laid Hermione down on the pile of blankets she kept on the bed, careful to avoid her laying on her wings.

Hermione was puzzled as she tried to retract her wings, to find she couldn't for the first time since her transformation. As Charlie laid down in the bed beside her, cuddling her to his chest again, he answered her confusion. "You'll find you can't go... fully human again for awhile. The dracken comes very close to surface with the mating bond. It'll take a couple of hours to settle down." Hermione nodded in understanding, suddenly feeling a bit shy as she studied the small scales on her robes.

Charlie gave her a few minutes in the contemplation, before he forced her out. "Hermione. Please look at me." Hermione's large chestnut eyes met his own, and she was awash in the emotions she found huddled in his deep blues.

A small smile tugged at his mouth as he started to speak. "Hermione. We don't have to live up to any expectations here. We can take this as slow as you want. I know... I know this decision was fast for you, but for me, it is the culmination of years of waiting and hoping and preparing. I have longed for someone exactly like you for long... and all I had on the horizon was spoiled and rotten submissives. And then you step in, this wonderful breath of fresh air, and you offer me everything. I could not possibly be more thrilled. I can't wait to grow old with you. I can't wait to see you huge with my chicks. I can't wait to introduce you to my family as my mate. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life showing you you weren't wrong to make this choice." Each declaration had been punctuated by a small kiss on her nose, and Hermione felt her reservations melt away.

"I can't wait either, Charlie. I just feel like all of this has been so fast. I'm half convinced I chose you because I know you best." Hermione was clearly worried about this, wringing her hands together in fear. Charlie quieted her with another small kiss, this time to her lips.

"Hermione, what do you know about what makes drackens choose each other?"

Hermione considered this for a moment before shrugging and saying, "Not much really. I had assumed it was just the same as picking a life partner for anyone else. General compatibility."

Charlie shook his head slowly. "That's a fair enough thought, but it's not how drackens choose mates. I would hazard a guess that any male who made it into the second of round of interviews had a compatible magical signature to yours. The dracken first and foremost cares about long-term compatibility and possibility of magical children. Will there be rough times? Of course. But drackens are known for having long standing, loving marriages. Your dracken wouldn't have let you mate with someone who you will hate in five years."

This did a good bit to calm Hermione's fears, but sent her into a thoughtful trail of inquest about whether or not anyone had studied this phenomenon formally. Charlie, recognizing Hermione's thinking face, settled back and merely held her as her brain went through the potential ramifications of the drackens knowledge of magical signatures. It was about a half hour later when Hermione snapped out of the near trance, apologizing profusely to Charlie for not attending to him for so long.

"No, Love. You have nothing to apologize for. Your intelligence is amazing, and you obviously had something you were considering quite deeply."

It seemed as though Charlie was going to go on, but a sharp knock on their door interrupted him. When Hermione called out a quiet, "You can come in." Harry peeked his head inside.

"Oh God thank goodness. I thought I was going to walk into-... You know what? Whatever. Dinner's ready if you guys want it."

Hermione's stomach growled, and Charlie affirmed they would be there in a moment before Harry left.

Hermione grinned up at Charlie as she shifted back to fully human, and he did the same. Standing up off the bed, Hermione shrugged off the beautiful white robes, and with a small sigh at the lost shirt, pulled it up over her head and discarded it. She nearly missed the small inhaled breath the sight of her nearly bare back prompted in Charlie, a small flush falling onto her face as she stepped into her closet, grabbing a simple t-shirt and slipping it over her head.

When she came back, Charlie looked deceptively calm... but something was making him quite tense. "What's wrong, Charlie?" Hermione inquired, plopping herself down across his lap with a familiarity she wasn't sure she actually possessed.

Charlie struggled for a moment to vocalize what he was feeling before he said, "I want to hunt for you. My... dracken is hammering at me to hunt for you. To provide what you need."

Hermione should have been disgusted by the idea of Charlie apparating to a forest and hunting down something to sink her teeth into. But instead she was excited. The idea of abundant fresh meat, still hot from the kill was heady and intense. "Please do. I'm going to go chat with Harry and Sirius. I'll tell them to expect you. Try not to get any blood on the carpet, it'll take me forever to get out."


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta is AlaskanAppaloosa and she's amazing!

Hermione gave Charlie a quick kiss before he left, which felt a little strange, but also perfect. It was a little bit nerve-wracking to see him jump out of her second story window, but she peeked out after him and saw that he was fine. The extra strength and accelerated healing of drackens were going to take some getting used to. She waved after him, though he didn't turn around to see it, before moving out of her bedroom and heading to where she could hear Sirius and Harry in the kitchen.

She was fully expecting an inquisition, and her boys didn't disappoint. With Sirius kicking off the questions.

"So. How's it feel not being a virgin anymore?"

Hermione grabbed the sweater Harry had thrown over the back of his chair and chucked it at Sirius, smacking him in the face. "Just because I mated doesn't mean I'm not a virgin. We're gonna take it slow. Nothing happened besides some kissing. Technically nothing has to happen until I go into heat… So. Slow."

Harry took this moment to pipe up, "Well, I'm glad that you guys can take a bit to get to know one another. I mean, I know that he is Ron's brother, but you don't know him very well for… him, you know?" Hermione nodded and sat down next to Harry, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I know. He is taking this as slow as I need to, and hopefully we have a lot of time. Right now I guess it all depends on how long my heat cycle is. If my cycle is two weeks... well, we have two weeks. If it's three months, that's how long we have. Apparently as soon as the bond was made, the timer started, so we will see I suppose." Hermione shrugged quickly, peering over at Sirius, who was already gearing up for his next question.

"So what does it feel like, Kitten? What's the bond like?" Sirius posed the question, but Harry did his best to peer at Hermione, letting it be known that he wanted to know as well.

Hermione took a moment to think on it, her analytical brain pulling apart her symptoms. "It's... strange. Wonderful. But strange." She paused once more, considering again, "If Charlie was any less of an amazing human being, I could see this being incredibly abusive. I... want to please him. I would do anything he said. Be anything he wanted. I wonder if it's the same for him? And, I mean, I can't read his mind or anything, but I can… feel him? I can tell he's alive, and not generally hurt or in distress."

"Do you think you could track him down if he was hurt?" Harry questioned, and sheer panic flowed through Hermione at even the idea of Charlie in distress.

"Yes. I have no doubt I could. Even the idea makes me so panicked I'm sweating. But I have no doubt I could track him down. Oh. I should warn you. He's probably going to be coming back with some sort of dead animal for me. Apparently his dracken really wants to make sure I know he's a good provider. It's..." Hermione's mouth was watering so she had to take a moment to swallow or risk drooling all over Harry. "It's probably going to be a little bit gross, well, a lot gross for you. I don't think I'll be able to stop once he's here with it. Fair warning."

Sirius and Harry took a moment to look at each other, clearly debating how they felt about this. Harry shrugged, which was quickly echoed by Sirius. "I am cool with whatever you have to do, Kitten, just try to keep it off the rug. Remember when I accidentally punched Harry in the nose and the blood got everywhere? It took forever to get out." Harry nodded frantically, rubbing his nose a moment in remembered pain. Both he and Sirius had spent the majority of an hour scrubbing the carpet with cold water and dish soap to try and lift the blood off it, since the carpet had been deemed too delicate to use magic on. There was still a small remnant left behind, but they all pretended it wasn't there because no one wanted to scrub anymore. It gave the carpet character.

"I remember. I told him not to get it on the carpet. Hopefully he listens better than Ron."

Harry snorted derisively, "That wouldn't take much." Earlier that year, Harry had approached Ron and asked him to back off from Hermione because he was making her very uncomfortable, but Ron had taken this as Harry wanted Hermione for himself. The subsequent typical Ron temper tantrum meant that he and Harry had been on rocky ground for quite awhile, and frankly, Harry was tired of Ron's crap.

For a few moments the room was silent as both Harry and Sirius ate their food, seemingly wanting to be finished before Charlie showed up. Hermione watched them fondly, very glad that with Sirius getting custody of Harry, things were finally working out in a way that was safe for her friend, and even made him happy. The fact that all three of them had been in dysfunctional or non-existent families as children meant they bonded together in a little family of their own and it was wonderful.

The crack of apparition was the only thing that announced Charlie, and Hermione had a moment to think "That was fast." before the coppery smell of blood hit her nose and her brain turned off, overridden by pure, unadulterated instinct to feed. Her wings, fangs, and claws burst from her body faster than she could register. Charlie had been a dear and had already skinned the deer he had found for her, which made sinking her teeth into the musculature quite easy. The gush of hot blood across her tongue was heady and rich, and for moment Hermione was convinced she would never eat anything other than a fresh-caught kill again.

It vaguely registered to her that Harry had left the room, but if she was being honest, she didn't really care. Her fangs were cutting off small pieces of the meat to devour, and she was amazed by how little of the animal she had eaten when she was so full. Charlie was making this happy grumbling sound at her back as he reached over and handed her another piece, urging her to eat her fill. It took about ten minutes, but she finally slowed down. Hermione stood, licking her fingers clean. A quick look around showed her that Harry had come back, and Sirius was looking a little green.

"Kitten. I have never seen someone eat so much in my life! Where are you putting it?" Sirius exclaimed, to her laughter. "You've never eaten that much ever!" He mused.

Hermione felt a hot flush fall over her face as she said, "Nothing has ever tasted that good before..." She turned to look at Charlie, an appreciative smile on her face. "Thank you. I'm so full I can't eat another bite."

Charlie clearly thought this was wonderful. He was back in his human form, and very relaxed and full of smiles. "It was my pleasure... Kitten? Was it?" He turned to look at Sirius with a grin. "I like that, can I steal it?"

"Help yourself, mate!" Sirius grinned at his pun while Hermione rolled her eyes.

Those same eyes drifted down to the remains of the deer Charlie had brought, noticing that there was actually quite a lot still there. She hadn't eaten anything close to the whole carcass. "What do we do with that?" She wondered, poking the remains. "I suppose we could butcher and freeze it? Does anyone know how to do that?" The others all shook their heads, but Charlie rescued them all from having to learn.

"I was thinking of taking the rest to a nesting mama on the reserve. She can't really hunt for herself, so this will be a nice treat for her."

Relief flooded Hermione at not having to gut the deer, and she gladly motioned for Charlie to take it. Before he left though, Charlie grabbed Hermione and kissed her hard, one hand wrapping around her waist, and the other tangling in her curls. With a soft sigh she relaxed into him, her body molding to him. When he pulled away, he murmured against her lips "Thank you for letting me do that for you. I love providing what you need." Another hard kiss, then he tore himself away, grabbing the carcass and apparating away with it. Hermione stood stunned for a moment before she turned back to Sirius and Harry, both of whom had large grins.

"Awe. Kitten's in love!" Sirius gushed.

Hermione waved him off, noticing for the first time that she was covered in blood. "Oh! I should go get clean! I'm covered!"

Harry's grimace and nod let her know they had, indeed, noticed just how bloody she was. "It's not that I don't love you, Hermione. But that was potentially one of the grossest things I've ever seen. Cool. But gross. Now. Go take a bubble bath. Do you want me to send Charlie in to chat when he comes back?"

Hermione considered this for a moment, struggling between wanting to preserve her modesty and take this slow, and her dracken's wish to let her mate into every area of her life. Finally, she decided why not? With the amount of bubbles she used in her bath, he wouldn't see anything anyways. "Sure. That sounds... good. Wait. Don't you want my help with..." She motioned to the puddle of blood on the floor, but Sirius was already waving his wand.

"I got this. The hardwood can stand up to some cleaning." In seconds the blood was all gone, and she gave Sirius a quick kiss on the cheek as thanks. Both Sirius and Harry admonished her to enjoy her bath, pushing her towards the stairs. "Go, Kitten! Stop stalling. There is nothing that needs your attention out here. Go."

"Yes, Dad!" She hollered over her shoulder as she sauntered away.

"Be safe, young lady!"

"Never! You can't make me!" Hermione cried back as she shut the bathroom door with a chuckle. "Imma drown in bubbles, just to spite you!"

The bathroom in Grimmauld was truly amazing, as it had been Walburga's favourite place in the house, and she had put a lot of love into it. It was all shades of white and marble, but the most stunning part of it was the tub. It was huge, easily fitting two or even three people, and had multiple taps on the one side, that dispensed bubbles of all sorts along with oils and epsom salts. The custom seats cut directly into the marble were so comfortable, allowing one to read and still float in the amazing bubbles. It was Hermione's happy place outside of the library.

Turning nearly all the taps, Hermione filled the tub with big fluffy citrus-scented bubbles, with some of an oil that Hermione had no name for, but made her skin feel so soft she didn't care. Stripping her clothes and leaving them in a pile on the floor, Hermione sank into the tub with a moan, settling under the bubbles. A quiet knock on the door announced Charlie, and she allowed him in, feeling a bit nervous if she was honest.

"Oh goodness. I'm not sure whether to be relieved or very, very sad that you are covered by bubbles." That was enough to send Hermione into a fit of giggles, releasing the tension.

"Me neither."


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta is AlaskanAppaloosa and she's incredible!

For a moment, silence hung in the bathroom as Hermione let the stress leave her frame. Finally she broke the stillness. "I'm... I'm not sure what to do here, Charlie. I feel like we barely know one another, and yet..."

She drifted off and Charlie finished for her. "And yet I want to be with you constantly. And yet I would throw myself in front of a bus for you. And yet, my entire happiness revolves around your own."

"Yes. That." Hermione was pensive and a little bit frustrated. "I realize that for drackens this is quite normal, having a mate that you may or may not know well. But for me, this whole thing is... stressful. Strange. A lot of change."

Charlie listened attentively, but jumped in with an observation. "Hermione. Kitten. Yes. This situation is strange and new. But dwelling on how hard it is won't help. Instead, remember. You have a whole new family who loves you. I popped over to Mum's for a moment to let her know what happened? And she is so thrilled she doesn't even know what to do with herself. She has already started cooking, she expects us over tomorrow." Hermione chuckled before Charlie continued, "Yes, we don't know each other well. But we know our magic is very compatible, we have a couple of months to get to know one another before anything has to happen, and we are both physically attracted to the other one. We know we're both dedicated to family, and those things are more than most arranged marriages start with, and those do pretty well statistically. You get cool new powers, and you get to have a harem of men at your beck and call for the rest of your life. The way I see it, you're coming out on top here."

Hermione giggled, the stress of the situation leaving her for a moment. "Thank you, Charlie. I think I needed that, someone reminding me that this isn't all bad. I'm sorry if I was bumming you out. I'm sure it's properly frustrating, having a mate that is struggling to adjust."

"Nah. I get that it's a big change for you. But I think you also need someone to remind you that it's not all doom and gloom. I'll be here for that. Mum calls me a perpetual optimist, and if you need me to be, I will be your optimist. While we're here and chatting, what is it you want to know?"

Hermione found it comical that she desperately wanted to know everything about Charlie, but when posed with an open door, she blanked. Finally she just threw out the first thing that popped in her head. "What's your favourite color?"

Charlie seemed mildly amused for a moment before answering, "This is going to sound so Gryffindor, but red. Not bright red, but a deep rich red. The red just a shade above black. I love wearing it, and it's the color of one of my favourite dragons. What about you, Kitten?"

"I love almost all colors, but I think my favourite is a really soft purple. Even lighter than the color of lilacs, but in that same family. It makes me happy. Relaxed. Inspired."

Charlie looked for a moment as though he wanted to burn this information into his brain. "My turn. What's your favourite flavor of ice cream?"

"That's a cruel question! I love ice cream, any ice cream. But if I had to pick one? Just one, for the rest of my life? Caramel Explosion by Haagen Dazs. It's everything I love in an ice cream. Tooth achingly sweet, crunchy, a little bit of chocolate... Granted, I try to limit myself but... It's my weakness."

Charlie laughed at Hermione's struggle and subsequent defense of her favourite type of ice cream. But she wasn't finished yet.

"But let's be honest. I'd eat pretty much all ice cream put in front of me. I love it all. What about you? What's your secret weakness, sweets-wise?"

Charlie pondered for a moment, then answered honestly. "I don't much like sweets myself, but if I'm in a munching mood, I can go through a bag of dill pickle crisps in a flash. A friend brought some back from across the pond and I fell head over heels in love with them."

Hermione made a face at the mention of the chips. "I hate those things. How can you eat them?"

"How can you not is the real question!" Charlie shot back with a laugh, reaching into the bath to splash Hermione a bit. "They're amazing! Crunchy and salty and pickle-y. Delicious!" Charlie licked his lips at the thought of them. "I'm going to give myself a craving."

Hermione laughed, "Well. I guess I know what I need to get on your good side."

"Oh Kitten. You don't need bribery to be on my good side." Charlie gave a comical eyebrow wiggle that reminded Hermione of Sirius.

"You, Charlie. Are a shameless flirt."

"Oi! You're my mate! I'm allowed to flirt!" Charlie protested playfully. Hermione splashed him a bit, sending him scrambling away. "Oh you're playing with fire, Kitten." He growled as he stalked closer to the tub, shedding his shirt and pants. Hermione shrieked with laughter and scrambled away in the tub as Charlie jumped in, grabbing her to him and tickling her sides. They both laughed hysterically before it seemed to click in that Hermione was fully naked and Charlie was only wearing underpants. Hermione caught on first and went dead still in his arms, but it didn't take Charlie long to catch the change in mood. With his arm holding her just under her breasts, it was hard not to notice just how... big he was compared to her.

Hermione had never considered being someone who could physically protect and keep her something attractive, but Charlie was quickly making her rethink her opinion. His lips brushed against her neck, drawing a keening moan from her, and she ground back against him. Charlie's lips moved to her ear, "Kitten. If you don't want this to go any further. I'll leave now. But if you make that amazing light noise again..." The hard bulge she felt nudging against her back told her just how much he liked that.

Hermione took a shuddering breath before she whispered back, "Can we.. continue... but not..." She felt her face heating up, barely able to form the words. She had never been the girl who fooled around with others. Never been the girl who even thought of such things, being rather consumed with her academic career and keeping Harry alive... but darn it if Charlie wasn't making her regret every moment of her celibacy.

Charlie growled a bit in her ear before he gently turned her around, holding her close as he met her eyes and held them. "Kitten. I want to be very clear on something. Painfully clear on something. If ever you want to stop, I don't care if we're in the act, I don't care if we have already talked about it... you tell me and I will stop. We will only ever go as far as you want. So. Of course we can. I'd love to take every step you want to."

Hermione took a moment to collect herself before she whispered to him, "I've never done this before. Teach me?"

Charlie didn't respond, but rather captured her lips into a searing kiss.

Throughout the next hour he gently taught her the ways between a man and a woman, guiding her through their mutual pleasure. As they gently came down from the high, they washed each others hair in silence, just enjoying being together. The silence was broken by Charlie's voice, "I never thought I would be so grateful for a large bathtub. We need to make sure our house has a ridiculously oversized tub."

Hermione nodded happily as he helped her out of the tub. "I'm in! As long as it has arm rests for me to read while I'm soaking. Nothing is better than relaxing in the water and reading a good book. Except maybe sharing the bath with a mate."

Charlie laughed and shook his head in exasperation. "One day you're gonna drop a book in the water and you're going to be crushed. What then, hmmm?"

"Then my wonderful mates, who love me so much, will buy me a new one." Hermione hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking the question that had been burning at her all day.

"Charlie?"

"Mmhmm?" Charlie, for his part, was drying off and getting dressed, grumbling to himself about how he needed to move some of his clothes from the reserve to Grimmauld.

"How do you feel about the multiple mates. Honestly." A part of Hermione feared that he would answer he hated it, and would make things miserable for everyone, but another part of her whispered, 'But he's our mate. He wouldn't do that.'

Charlie turned to look at her, clearly puzzled. "I thought you knew. I have known from the moment I walked into that first interview that you were going to need multiple mates, and what that would mean for our relationship, and my relationship with those other men. I'm happy to have a family that is many faceted and beautiful. And if that means that sometimes I have to bottom to a dude during heat, so be it."

Hermione had been drying her hair and getting dressed as Charlie spoke, but at that last revelation, she paused in shock. "Bottom... another male?" She asked, clearly confused.

"Well, Hermione." Charlie said with a shrug, "When you're in heat, we have to be having sex pretty much all the time. If not with you, then with someone. That means that the males will create a hierarchy amongst ourselves and some will have to bottom to the others. All dracken dominants know that it's a possibility, and nearly a guarantee if your submissive needs more than one mate that you will eventually bottom someone."

Hermione was already plugging in what she knew of drackens into this new bit of data. "I suppose it makes sense... I just had never... thought it through before... Do that mean all of you are bisexual?"

Charlie chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, I personally have no serious physical attraction to guys, and outside of heats, I don't seek out sexual interactions with them. I imagine it very much varies per man, just like any other demographic."

Hermione's brain was already making a note to study sexual habits among drackens. It would make an interesting paper to do an anthropological study on drackens, perhaps only readable by other magical creatures? What kind of spell would that book need...

Charlie watched on as Hermione finished getting dressed, clearly going down to a rabbit trail in her mind. He gently guided her out of the door, nudging her to the kitchen and settling her at the table. Sirius wandered in and saw the look on Hermione's face, which caused a small smile on his own.

"How long has she been like this this time?" He inquired of Charlie, opening up a drawer in the buffet against the wall to hand Charlie a piece of parchment and a muggle ballpoint pen from inside it to hand to Hermione.

When Charlie did so, Hermione made rapid notes that she alone could understand. "Only a couple of minutes. I told her another tidbit she didn't know about dracken culture." Taking a peek at her notes, Charlie nodded. "Yeah, it looks like most of the notes are about dracken culture and a... book about it? Maybe?"

"Why am I not surprised?" Sirius grinned, and Charlie met his grin with his own.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta is AlaskanAppaloosa and she's INCREDIBLE.

Charlie and Hermione were left alone for their evening. Sirius was working on stripping Regulus' old room so it could be used, and Harry was out practicing Quidditch. Hermione wasn't exactly sure what to expect from her first evening alone with Charlie, but overall it was lovely. They spent most of the evening sitting in the library. Charlie was happy to read through the books about dragons in the Black family library, which had been to this point cut off from him, while Hermione buried herself in some books about drackens. Having Charlie around let her run the information found in the books past someone who actually had experience with the creatures written about.

It was incredibly frustrating to Hermione just how much information was missing or just plain wrong. But what took the cake was the fact that she couldn't tell the writers how wrong they were without revealing her status as a dracken. While browsing through these books, the idea of anonymously writing a book on drackens bloomed in her mind and started taking serious root. Being able to type up her draft on a computer and using a general purpose post owl would make her nearly untraceable.

When she ran her idea past Charlie, he was tentative, reminding her just what was at stake; not just for her and Charlie, but also Charlie's entire extended family.

If Hermione was exposed as a dracken submissive, it would be assumed that the rest of the family were drackens as well, and not only Charlie's direct family but all of his aunts and uncles on both sides would also be under scrutiny. It would be an intense strain on the family and would mean a mass relocation, even for the human members of the family. Charlie was willing to talk about it once she had gotten a couple more mates and they had a solid plan, but for now, while she was welcome to write her book for the dracken counsel to hand out to new drackens if she wanted to, publishing for the general public was deemed too risky.

They stayed in the library until quite late, until Hermione was yawning so often she couldn't focus on her books anymore. When she dozed off in the fluffy chair she had settled down in, Charlie picked her up, making a shushing noise at her grumbles of protest. "You're exhausted, Love. Let me care for you." With a small sigh she conceded, leaning into his chest. She felt very pampered when they got into her room, when he settled her into bed and got her pajamas.

When Charlie turned to leave himself, she assumed to settle into one of the guest rooms, she whispered into the darkness. "Stay. Please stay with me." A look of sheer joy and relief passed over Charlie's face for a moment before he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed with her, snuggling her to his side. It didn't take long for them to sleep, and Hermione had never felt so safe and secure.

The morning dawned bright and early, and it turned out Charlie was used to rising with the sun. The reserve called for long hours, and it was hard to break that habit. Fortunately, Hermione didn't mind rising with him. She wasn't sure when Sirius had retired, but Harry hadn't come home yet by the time they had turned in. Privately she suspected there was a secret flame out there that he went to see every now and again, but she refused to pry. There were very few things he kept from her, and always with good reason.

Before they ate breakfast, Charlie went to floo-call his Mum. There hadn't been a lot of time to talk to her, and frankly, Molly could be a bit overbearing. Charlie had wanted to give them some space before his family descended on them. But it was time to face the fiddler.

Hermione wished him luck, heading to the kitchen herself. She had no wish to deal with Molly's potential reaction to their mating this early in the morning. Instead she started on breakfast, digging out the waffle maker that was deep in the cupboards. To add to the waffles she cut up strawberries, set out some blueberries, and opened a can of pineapple tidbits. On the table went powdered sugar and syrup, along with the bowls of fruit. Soon the smell of waffles filled the entire kitchen and started leaking out; Hermione knew the moment it happened, because Sirius and Harry crawled out of bed and sat at the table, not willing to miss waffles for a couple extra minutes of sleep.

Just as Hermione started to get worried about Charlie, he waltzed back into the room, a big grin splitting his face. "Mum is thrilled. She has invited us over for dinner tonight, and she said we can drag long Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum here too!"

"I'm Tweedle Dee." Harry quipped as he filled his plate with two huge waffles, a bit of all the fruit, and way more powdered sugar and syrup than could possibly be healthy. Hermione rolled her eyes as Sirius grumbled about having to be Tweedle Dum.

"That sounds fantastic, did you happen to ask her if we could bring anything?" As soon as Hermione said the words, she knew how ridiculous it was. Molly Weasley made enough food to feed an army every meal, and significantly more when guests were coming. "Nevermind. I opened my mouth without thinking."

Charlie chuckled as he gave her a quick peck before sitting at the table. "This looks amazing. Is that a muggle thing-a-ma-bob?"

This launched Hermione into a discourse about how she had developed the spell that converted ambient magical power in a house filled with wizards into electrical power for the muggle devices she truly loved. The waffle maker wasn't the only muggle device in the kitchen. A coffee maker also graced the counter, as did the Kitchen Aid that Harry had gifted Hermione last year for her birthday. One morning she has mourned that she wanted to bake, but all the recipes she knew and loved were from muggles, and thus required mixing that she wasn't sure how to do with a wand. When Harry had shown up with a kitchen aid, she had demanded he return it. He refused, saying it was purely self serving, as he would benefit from her baking, namely in getting to eat all her treats. She relented, and Kitchen Aid was used often, and Harry had undoubtedly eaten more than his share of the goodies she made. The stove that sat in the kitchen was muggle in origin and look, but had come from a wizarding store. The charms set on the metal and heating elements let her have fantastic control, and felt very natural.

Harry made Hermione a plate of waffles piled high with strawberries and syrup, setting it down on the table for her to eat at her leisure. After a couple of pointed looks from Sirius toward it, Hermione drifted into silence as she settled down to eat them. Charlie chuckled at the disgruntled twist of her face as she did so. Conversation flowed easily, mostly focusing on how muggles had used their lack of magic to create all sorts of interesting things. Charlie had a good knowledge of muggle contraptions thanks to his father, but most of it was vaguely wrong to hilarious, such as believing that muggles worship rubber ducks.

The day was mostly spent showing Charlie the muggle room and all the things it contained. They got bogged down in the Xbox and the games it contained, and with an extensive conversation about how muggles entertain themselves. Sirius left for a lunch date with the girl they all pretended that he wasn't dating, though they had been going out at least three times a week for over four months. Neither Hermione or Harry had met her yet, and there had been more than a few talks about why that was between the two of them, though neither had asked Sirius. Frankly, the man was entitled to have some things that he kept to himself.

By the time three o'clock rolled around, Sirius came back and everyone headed into bedrooms to get ready to head to the Weasleys. Charlie got dressed in just plain old jeans and a long-sleeved plaid shirt that covered his tattoos, as Molly was very disapproving of them. Hermione threw on a comfortable pair of black and floral leggings, with a long soft pink tunic style shirt and black flats. Comfort was the name of the game here. Hermione was vaguely nervous about remeeting Charlie's family as his mate and not just the orphaned girl Ron brought home sometimes during the summer.

Charlie watched her getting dressed, noting just how nervous she seemed. With a small smile he took her face between his large hands and asked her to look at him. When her tentative eyes met his, a large smile spread across his face. "I understand you are nervous. But Kitten. They already love you. They have loved you for years, and while this wasn't how they were expecting you to join the family, they're thrilled you did. Mom is already making noises about doing some extra knitting in the coming months, and I wouldn't be surprised she's so excited she knits you a whole closet of sweaters." Hermione laughed at the mental image of her closet stuffed so full of Weasley sweaters she couldn't close it properly.

Under Charlie's watchful gaze Hermione visibly relaxed, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Thank you Charlie. I needed that." They shared a sweet kiss before leaving the room to meet the other boys. Harry was the epitome of comfortable in a pair of sweats and his Weasley sweater, and Sirius wasn't much better in a pair of holey jeans and a sweater that said "Save a horse, ride a wizard." Hermione just shook her head. Sirius and Molly seemed to have a running gag going about how Sirius was a bad influence on the younger people, and he took great joy in messing with her with his unorthodox clothing choices.

The floo wouldn't work for the Weasley's house, as their fireplace wasn't large enough, so apparition it was. With a spin, each of the quintet left, popping into the field outside of the Burrow. No one minded the trudge up the hill though. The weather was beautiful, perfect for a bit of a stroll. Hermione hesitated slightly before knocking on the door once they got to it, but Molly Weasley quickly put that to rest.

Flinging the door open, Molly enveloped her in a big hug. "Hermione! Why did you knock, girl? You're family! You just come right on in! Make yourself at home!" Charlie's chuckle met Hermione's ears and she turned to half-heartedly glare at him, but it took effort, because she loved the enthusiastic welcome.

Molly nearly dragged Hermione into the house, giving passing greetings to Harry and Sirius, but clearly her focus was on making sure Hermione knew just how happy the family was to add her to it. While Hermione kicked off her flats and threw them in the haphazard pile of shoes near the front door, Molly chattered. "I always knew you were going to be part of the family. I didn't expect this way, but how wonderful! What a shock it must have been coming into your inheritance!" At this Molly clucked much like a mother hen, bringing a small smile to Hermione's face. "Poor girl. Well. What's done is done, you're here now and we will take care of you now! You'll never need to face something like that alone again." With this Molly gave a definitive nod of her head, clearly daring anyone to tell her differently.

Arthur appeared around the corner. He ignored his son's small snarl as he folded Hermione into a hug. "Don't mind him. I'm an unmated male touching his mate he hasn't completed the bond with. He's a little touchy, but he knows I could take him out." Hermione laughed, because Arthur was clearly the smaller of the two men, which probably explained why he had never attracted a dracken mate. But if Charlie's chastised look was anything to go by, there was a great deal of respect and trust between the two men. "Welcome to the family, my dear. Please. Feel free to claim us as your own."

The look on Arthur's face let Hermione know there was more to this statement than met the eye, and at her confused look, Molly took it upon herself to explain. "In dracken culture, a submissive's family has certain… privileges. If ever there is a conflict between you and your mate or mates, your family will step in to house you and care for you. A submissive's family usually gets first dibs on watching grandchildren during heats, and a submissive's family is legally recognized by the dracken halls as a medical intermediary should you not have a surviving mate who could make medical decisions for you. Arthur…" With this Molly and Arthur shared an intense, knowing look. "We. Are offering to be your family. If ever there is a conflict, even with our son, we will be your safe haven, if you would have us. We will be your support system. Of course, that is always the case… but sometimes the drackens like the formalities dealt with."

Hermione reeled at what she was being offered so casually. A home. They were offering a home. Even at the potential expense of their own child. Logically she knew that Charlie would have aunts and uncles and potentially his brother Bill to stay with should anything happen, but that didn't change the fact that the offer was incredibly generous. Interacting with dracken society had taught her that family was everything to them, and who you were connected to was intensely important. The Weasleys were offering her their clout and protection in dracken society.

For a moment, that small child that grew up and fended for herself in the orphanage whispered, "You don't need them. You can be strong on your own. Getting close to people only hurts." But a larger part whispered back, "Being strong alone is admirable. But being strong doesn't mean you have to be alone. You can be strong and love and be loved by these people too…"

Her eyes filled with unexpected tears at the realization that she didn't have to be alone anymore. Molly Weasley rushed forward and enveloped her in a warm hug, gently running her hand across Hermione's curls, giving comfort and love. She murmured soft nothings, shushing and gently rocking Hermione for a moment. When Hermione finally relaxed and pulled away, Molly wiped her tears gently and then with a very business-like attitude. "Well then. That's that. You're part of the family now. I'd better get that roast before it burns."

Hermione grinned after Molly as she bustled away, the matter clearly settled in her mind. Arthur gave her another gentle hug and murmured to her that he would file all the relevant paperwork with the counsel. Charlie looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. With a tentative voice Hermione made the niggling doubt in her mind come to the forefront. "You… don't mind? They're…"

Charlie immediately shook his head. "They asked me as soon as they found out it was you. I know very well what it means, and I know what they are offering to you. I wouldn't have it any other way. You're my mate. I want you safe. I want you to have a support. I want you to have a family. My family has lots of love to give. I can share them. Plus. Mom's love language is mostly feeding people, and we all know she always cooks too much. There's only so much a man can eat! So you see, it's a selfish wish on my part." His cheeky grin made Hermione chuckle, but the smile fell off her face when another red head opened his mouth.

"So. You actually showed up." Ron's sneer was enough to make Hermione's hackles rise and her face twist into an imperious glare.

"Yes, Ronald. I did. I have done nothing wrong. I chose a mate, a mate who loves me. There was nothing between us and there never would be."

Ron's face flushed an ugly shade of puce as he struggled for words for a moment before bursting out, "You were mine! I was the only one who would have you with your rats nest of hair and your stupid hand waving! If you weren't a dracken submissive, you'd be alone forever!" It was clear that Ron and the rest of the family expected these words to cut Hermione down, as the others stepped in to defend Hermione and Ron stood his ground. Everyone was shocked when Hermione slipped by all them and slapped Ron across the face with all the force her dracken body could muster. Ron fell to the ground, the angry red mark she left on his face rapidly turning to a livid blue bruise that spread across his eye to his chin.

"I. Am NOT. Worthless. You are a vile human being and if you were the last man on earth I wouldn't have you." She spat at him, in a deep rumbling growl, her eyes flashing dangerously and her teeth expanding to reveal her fangs.

It was this scene that the twins walked into. "Oi, Forge! We missed a good one, we did! Hermione decked Ron!" Thankfully, that broke the tension between Hermione and Ron. Hermione whipped away from him, struggling to control her primal urge to rip him to shreds. Charlie grabbed for Hermione, retreating across the room and giving into his drackens need to check her over for injury, while Molly grabbed Ron by the ear and led him out of the house, yelling at him so loudly that Hermione swore Luna would be able to hear it from over the hill.

Once Ron was out of the house and Charlie could swallow his need to rip into the one who had verbally assaulted his mate, he turned heated eyes to Hermione. "That was brilliant. The sexiest thing I've ever seen you do." When she flushed and smiled he kissed her briefly, "And I like your hand waving."

"Oi!" One of the twins called out. "Get a room!" The entire room burst into laughter, the strain completely gone.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you so so much to AlaskanAppaloosa, who has gone above and beyond in every way to be an amazing beta. I love you girl!
> 
> Thank you for the reviews! They breathe life into me! You comment and I inevitably want to keep writing more! The feedback loop is incredible.

Molly came back into the house, grumbling under her breath about how did she manage to raise such a moronic child? Hermione smirked when her ears caught the strain of her muttering, but she schooled her expression when Molly turned to her with another smile. "Are you hungry, dear?" Molly shook her head at her own question, "That was silly. Of course you are. Look at how skinny you are. Come on, luv. Dinner's ready."

At that, the entire crew minus Ron headed into the kitchen, where the dining table was set with all sorts of treats. Roast beef, mash and gravy, green beans swimming in butter, Yorkshire puddings, and homemade stuffing bedecked the table. The smell had permeated the entire house, but when you passed the threshold of the kitchen it all but punched you in the face. Hermione's mouth watered and she was surprised by the grinding hunger in her stomach. Everyone sat down at the table, and Ron shuffled back in, his face still bruised and swollen. A dark part of Hermione's soul smiled at the fact that no one would heal him. He sat in the empty chair and stared at the plate in front of him, but a close look at his face showed that he was still angry.

Hermione was determined not to pay him any mind, leaning her head on Charlie's shoulder while everyone else got settled. Wizards had no equivalent to the muggle tradition of saying grace, but Arthur said a quick word about how lovely it was to be expanding the family. Ron snorted and one of the twins kicked him under the table. Harry was giving Ron the kind of look you gave scum on your shoe. Sirius was trading looks with the other twin that sent chills up Hermione's spine. Nothing good could come of looks like that between one of the Weasley twins and a Marauder. She almost felt bad for Ron. It passed quickly.

Dinner was more disorganized than Hermione was used to, but filled with lots of laughter and love. Charlie made her plate for her, only because he had longer arms to reach all the food that his siblings were fighting over. Why they had to fight over it was a mystery, as Molly had made enough food to feed an army, and it was not like it was running out anytime soon. It was nice to not have to explain her new taste in food to anyone though. It was just accepted that she wanted a very rare piece of meat, mash with a lot of meat gravy, and just a little bit of everything else. There were no comments about how weird it was that her piece was nearly rare, and in fact she wasn't the only one with a nearly blue piece of roast. Arthur, it seemed, had just gone with a slightly warmed piece rather than it be any sort of cooked food.

Eventually the conversation turned to the dracken lifestyle and specifically how men growing up dracken prepared for it. Because drackens were scented early in life, the young men took steps to assure their future financial success.

"I was always small for my age, so I resigned myself quite early in my life to the fact that I wouldn't attract a dracken mate. I still did all the preparation steps as other young dracken men, but it was with the knowledge that I would probably pass most of that onto my children who would get dracken mates." At Hermione's curious look, Arthur continued. "You must understand Hermione, you are a rarity. Most dracken submissives choose their mates on two criteria. Wealth, and physical beauty. I knew I didn't have the physical beauty part, but there was no reason that I couldn't have the wealth part down. Early in my life I started to save, making clever investments, setting aside every knut for the future."

Hermione kept her eyes clearly on her plate, trying not to look around at the ramshackle house around them. Arthur must have caught her self-restraint though, because he chuckled. "Yes. It seemed unlikely, yes? But each of my children will and do have a sizable inheritance, as well as the skills to multiply that money. Dracken families are not small. Even when we marry humans, we tend towards large families." A grin around the table confirmed just how much everyone loved this aspect of dracken life.

"Charlie gained access to that inheritance the minute his mating bond to you was made, and Bill gained his when he was married to Fleur. The others will gain their inheritances when they choose to settle down with their life mates. Molly and I have chosen to live a lifestyle more conducive to saving for our children. We are happy with our choices. They never lacked for anything they needed, but frivolity was not necessary." Thinking back, this was very much true. The Weasleys never lacked for textbooks or clothing. It wasn't always in style or brand new, but they were always warm and cared for. Hermione thought this was very practical and thoughtful of the Weasley parents, and her respect for them went up even more.

"Can I… ask a question?" Hermione tentatively queried, to a resounding 'of course' from everyone at the table.

"How…" Hermione took a deep steadying breath before she finished her sentence. "How does the multiple mate thing work? Like, do we divvy up days of the week? Who pays for what? What about the children? What if one man has a bunch of children and the others don't? What are the rules here?"

Amusement rippled over the table, and Harry's slight blush let be known that he had had similar thoughts, but wasn't brave enough to voice them. Molly and Arthur shared an amused look before Arthur turned to Hermione and said, "We had a feeling you would want to know. After dinner we will sit down and have a good chat about it."

With that conversation turned to more mundane things, how Ginny's new job playing professional Quidditch was going, how Bill and Fleur were adjusting to working together at Gringotts, and how Ron was doing in auror training. Ron's news was the only bad news, in that he wasn't doing well at the training. Hermione tried to contain the petty and slightly bitter side of herself that reveled in his failure, but mostly failed.

Throughout the meal, Molly kept putting bits of food on Hermione's plate with murmurs of how skinny she was, and eventually Hermione started subtly passing it onto Charlie's plate in turn. Arthur shared a smile with her when he caught her, but shrugged at his wife. Hermione just shook her head in exasperation, but Molly eventually slowed down, and Hermione was able to clear her plate.

After dinner, the others slowly drifted off across the house. Ron seemed to want to stick around, but a glare from Charlie had him moving on. Harry and Sirius however, remained, clearly interested in the conversation Arthur and Molly had promised.

Once the dining room was cleared, Arthur spoke. "Ok Hermione. Molly and I have talked, and we know you have a lot of questions. We are going to ask that for tonight, you choose your top three. We will answer those as thoroughly as we can." An amused smile passed over his face as he continued, "I suspect the kinds of questions you have will take extensive answers."

Hermione just gave a cheeky smile in response, because there was no point in denying the obvious. She took a moment to think before she asked her first question. "How do things work with multiple mates?"

Arthur laughed at the broad question, while Molly just gave an indulgent smile.

Charlie slung his arm across Hermione's shoulder, slowly pressing her into his chest. She leaned back and relaxed into him, sighing gently at the comforting touch. Molly beamed at the movement, while Arthur started to speak. "How 'things work' with multiple mates is very individual to each mating. My parents were a triad, and so I can tell you how they did things, and how my fathers prepared me for the potential of having multiple mates myself."

"That would be incredible." Hermione said, "So far everything I've learned has just been the 'here's what you need to survive the next few days' kind of information."

"That does make sense, my dear." Molly said, "You did have a rather traumatic couple of days, and drackens are notoriously closed-lipped with information about their kind."

Hermione nodded exasperatedly as Arthur continued. "How finances work with multiple mates is often divvied directly down the middle, or in portions as it were. Sometimes there is one particular mate who is much better off financially than the others, and they sometimes take on more of the financial burden. As most submissives stay home and care for the children, how a submissive's financial contributions are handled in a home is even more unknown." Hermione nodded, conjuring a piece of parchment and a ballpoint pen with a wave of her wand, taking notes.

"As for how things work sexually, that's very individual. If the mates are bisexual, there may be sexual contact in large groups, or things may be much more individual, with each mate only interacting with a submissive one-on-one except during heats. That is something that will probably have to be worked out within your mating, just like every couple. There are no 'norms' and no one would dare ask you about it."

Hermione studiously wrote down every word he said, adding her own notes. "That's a relief to know. What about children?"

"All mates will treat all the children as if they were their own, and usually parenting is done in conjunction with all mates."

"That's wonderful, it's nice to know that there won't be problems with who's parenting whose kids. Is there any way to know how many mates I will have?"

Arthur was already shaking his head before she was finished speaking. "No. There is a theory that the number of mates has to do with magical power, but no one has ever been able to accurately measure magical reserves. There are also rare cases where a submissive chose two mates who were already soul mates for each other, in the place of one mate."

Hermione left a note on her paper to do research into the magic of soul mates and how that affected mating bonds. "Ok. Last question. Is there anything you feel that I should know? Anything that dracken children are told that maybe I wouldn't know, but is essential to surviving in this world?"

Arthur took a moment to think before answering, "No. Just remember that how you work out your mateship doesn't have be like anyone else's. It just has to work for you and your mates. Don't try to live up to any 'dracken ideal'. Just do what works for you and you guys will be fine. Harry, Sirius, do either of you have any questions?"

Hermione had been so invested in her note-taking that she had nearly forgotten her dear friends were there. Both answered to the negative, with Harry adding a note that if he had any pressing questions, he could ask Neville. Molly nodded appreciatively, "That's a good boy from a good dracken family, he'll be an invaluable resource to you, Hermione." Hermione refrained from telling Molly and Arthur about her familial connection to Neville, mostly because she wasn't sure how Neville would feel about it, and the others seemed to take their cues from her.

"Thank you so much Arthur, Molly. I so appreciate you taking the time to speak to me."

Molly walked over and dragged Hermione up off Charlie's shoulder to give her a hug. "Psh, my girl. You're family. Of course we will answer your questions, and we will do our very best to make sure you are safe and cared for." Hermione snuggled into Molly for a moment as the boys and Arthur slowly drifted into the living room where the others had started a game of exploding snap. Seeing that Fred and George were playing, Hermione sat out, having learned her lesson long before. The twins cheated, and when Sirius joined the game, it was cheating on top of cheating and soon no one knew which way was up. Laughter drifted easily through the room, and Hermione was struck, as she always was when she was at the Weasleys, that this is what home must feel like.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa, who deals with my crazy and takes it and makes it into this.
> 
> You're all amazing with all your reviews, please continue! I LOVE reading every single one. They breath life into this story.

The next week was spent getting to know one another, with Charlie and Hermione slowly pushing their physical relationship into more intimate spaces. The comfort grew between the two of them, which put Hermione's nerves at ease for her upcoming heat. Where as before she had felt that she would be embarking on this with a virtual stranger, she now felt settled and secure and ready for whatever came.

  
  


The universe was apparently determined to see if she really meant that.

  
  


Hermione and Charlie were relaxing on the couch together, Charlie reading 'Dragon Keepers Quarterly' and Hermione making notes about her dracken book, when the floo flared, startling them both. Bart politely asked to be admitted, and they let him through.

  
  


When Bart had stepped into the room and taken a seat in one of the comfortable chairs, he began to speak. "I just wanted you to know that we conducted a raid on the orphanage today."

  
  


Hermione's first instinct was to get upset that she hadn't been included, but it didn't take her long for her logic to snap in. She was newly mated, and Charlie would have been frantic if she had been invited to go along. It wouldn't have been fair to put him through that, even if she was an able fighter. As it was, she was a decent combatant when it came to survival, but overall was mediocre, though it took a lot for her to admit it even to herself. Bart had said 'conducted a raid', which implied a coordinated team going into the orphanage. No. This was not the kind of scenario where she would have been helpful.

  
  


"How did it go? Did you get the other girls out? What about the brother orphanage? Did you get the kind of evidence that you need to prosecute?" The questions tumbled from her tongue before she could rein them in, and Bart seemed to understand.

  
  


"The raids went well, we suffered no casualties. All the children were recovered, a grand total of fifty from the girls home, and sixty-five from the boys home. It's unknown how many are drackens and how many are normal human children. They are all being adopted out to dracken families in the United Kingdom." Hermione was thrilled with this, as it was the best possible result for the children. Homes with families who would understand what they were going through, and if they should turn into drackens at seventeen, family to support them.

  
  


Bart gave her a moment to process before continuing, "As for evidence to prosecute? That… depends on what you mean. We have evidence that those in the board of directors at the orphanages had complete knowledge of what happened to the children who disappeared on their seventeenth birthday, and directly profited from it. Most of the normal caretakers had no idea, and honestly thought they were caring for normal children. They were questioned under legilimency, then obliviated and repatriated to the muggle world when appropriate. Those who had knowledge of what was happening are being held for execution, which you, of course, are invited to attend."

  
  


Hermione nodded slowly, equal parts relieved that those who had had most of the direct contact with the girls had had no idea what was going on, and horrified that so many others did. "You said it depends?"

  
  


Bart sighed and nodded, "We have found evidence that the locations of dracken families who had chicks were fed to the poachers by someone in the dracken community, but no names and nothing to connect a specific person. There is a financial trail, but not much else."

  
  


Bile rose hot and thick in Hermione's throat at one of the men or women she had interacted with taking such a horrific step. To literally sell out your fellow drackens and their children. "How much?" She snarled, fangs bursting out of her gums.

  
  


Bart grimaced as he answered. "About a thousand galleons."

  
  


A furious snarl left her throat, and Charlie's hand rubbed her back, though he was shaking with his own effort to keep himself calm. Hermione's entire body trembled with her need to rend and tear. A thousand galleons. About six thousand pounds. That's what a family of drackens was worth, that's all it took to sell out your friends and family. To send them to their certain death, and their children to a certain parentless life, and a possible horrific young ending.

  
  


Hermione stalked to the wall and tore into the fancy wallpaper, shredding the plaster with her claws until she felt better. It took more time than she thought it would. When she felt in control enough, she stalked back to Charlie and tumbled into his lap, burying her face into his neck to inhale his scent. Together they let their emotions calm, and finally Hermione peeked back out at Bart. "There's nothing you can do?"

  
  


Bart shook his head sadly. "No. Just wait, and hope they slip up next time." Next time. Bile once again rose in her throat, but Hermione forced it down.

  
  


"Thank you for letting us know. Please keep us updated as to when the execution will be scheduled." Hermione said softly as she gave Bart a quick hug. Bart assured her he would, then said his goodbye's, leaving once again through the floo.

  
  


Hermione sunk into her thoughts for a moment, before she spoke up. "I'm glad they dealt with it. I… I don't know how to… feel I guess. They were terrible people. But it was my home. The younger children… I was involved with their lives. I changed their nappy's. I was the person they came to in the night when they had a nightmare, they were the only ones I really got along with there. Now I don't know where any of them are, or if I will ever see them again." Charlie listened attentively, nodding when it seemed appropriate, but to Hermione it was apparent that he didn't really know how to respond. "It's ok, Charlie. I know this situation is… unique. Even in my own head my feelings don't make much sense."

  
  


"Woah. Now hold up a second." Charlie said, gently spinning Hermione to look at him fully. "Your feelings are valid. These people hurt children. But they were also your caretakers for seventeen years. And the girls? Of course you were attached to them. I'd be worried if you hadn't made any significant investments over your life. Feelings don't have to be single-faceted to be valid." Taking a page from his mother's play book, Charlie folded Hermione into a bear hug, wrapping his arms around her frame and just holding her as she processed her feelings. Hermione snuggled into his chest, allowing herself to feel the intense mix of relief and sadness, of nostalgia and hatred, of homesickness and rage. At times the flood seemed so heavy that she swore she would break with it, but after what seemed like forever, she surfaced at the top of the storm. A glance at the clock showed her it had only been minutes they had been standing there in silence, but it had done her psyche a world of good.

  
  


"Thank you, Charlie." Hermione said, placing a small kiss on his mouth. "I needed that."

  
  


"I know, love. Let's get you something to eat, how does that sound?" Hermione grinned at how like his mother Charlie sounded as he urged her towards the kitchen and started to pull out some leftovers from the night before.

  
  


Charlie took his cue from her when it came to topics, and she steered the conversation to anything but her past. When Harry and Sirius came home, she gave them only the barest of details of what she knew, her tone letting it be known she didn't want to talk extensively about it. Thankfully, both of the young men let it drop, only giving her crushing hugs in response. Hermione laid awake that night in bed, processing her thoughts and feelings with a sense of surrealism, and if she was honest with herself, more than a bit of fear. There was someone out there who had intimate knowledge of the dracken world, and was selling those in it to poachers. As long as that person was on the loose, no one was safe. Did she really want children in a world like this? One where they would always be at risk? The swirling thoughts kept her up the majority of the night, and left her with thick blue bruises under her eyes that worried Charlie in the morning.

  
  


Much of the nights of the next week went similarly, until finally Charlie started making noises about her going to a mind healer. Hermione resisted, insisting that she was fine. Strangely, it was Harry who got through to her and broke her funk.

  
  


Unbeknownst to her, Harry had sent Charlie to his family's house, and Sirius to his girlfriend's. Hermione was sitting in the library reading when he cornered her and started to speak.

  
  


"You know, when I was taken from the Dursley's house, I was so relieved. But also kind of sad, in a weird way. It was a shitty home. But it was mine, even when I didn't want it. And leaving the house certainly didn't get rid of the danger lurking out there. Voldemort was still coming for me, for you, for Sirius. I still had to face him, and it used to keep me awake at night, thinking that all this amazing life I had built after leaving that hell hole… could disappear. That everyone I cared about could disappear. Because of someone I couldn't control."

  
  


Hermione, in his words, felt her own heart reflected back at her.

  
  


"You know what I did? I gave in. I couldn't control it all. I just couldn't." Hermione grimaced at this before Harry continued. "But I could control me. I could live my life in fear, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and miss it. All of this amazing thing that fate, God, whoever, had granted to me. Or. I could get up and live. I could step into the unknown and fight like hell to get to the other side." With this Harry crouched in front of Hermione, grasping her cheeks between his hands. "Don't let this unknown steal your life. Your amazing life. Don't let them win."

  
  


Hermione burst into hysterical tears at this, letting out all the tension of the past week in one torrential downpour. Between her sobs she called for Charlie, so Harry called him back with a patronus. It took all of three seconds for Hermione to fall into his arms and tearfully apologize. Charlie would hear none of it, vowing to do what he had to to set her anxiety at peace. Harry called Sirius as well, and soon they were in a large dog pile on the floor, talking over strategies to manage the crushing fear. Soon they had a plan for when the panic set in, and Hermione felt much more secure again. Not perfect. But it was rare anything in life was perfect.

  
  


A big bowl of popcorn and  _The Lion King_  occupied the rest of the evening, and Charlie had to set aside his jealousy as Hermione regularly shifted from one man to other for snuggles and chatter. She eventually fell asleep snuggled in Charlie's arms, while Harry had slung an arm around her waist, and Sirius was laying across her lap.

  
  


Charlie rolled his eyes as Sirius thanked him for not ruining their relationship with this lovely woman. "I happen to like my balls. She'd kill me if I so much as breathed a word about ditching you two. Plus. You're ok, I guess." Sirius stuck his tongue out at Charlie before dozing off, and Charlie was the last to go, giving one sweeping look across the room to ensure everything was safe before drifting into sleep. 

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you to my amazing beta AlaskanAppaloosa, who takes my sloppy writing and doesn't judge and just fixes it so the rest of you can benefit! She's amazing. All the claps for Appy!
> 
> Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews! I LOVE every single one, it makes writing so much easier to read your feedback!

Hermione was now pushing on four weeks after her and Charlie's mating bond, and the morning dawned bright and clear. The night before had been taken up with a visit from Neville, and Hermione was completely caught up in her thoughts about her long lost brother. Her relationship with him was growing well, but she had so far, not been able to make any progress in her relationship with Augusta. There was also the added strain of feeling both like she and Neville should fall into a family pattern, and the contrasting feeling that that was impossible because they weren't a family. They were just people who happened to be related by blood but not much else. Guilt and fear and frustration twirled in her mind, combined with an overwhelming sense of love and want that made for a confusing and thought consuming cocktail.

  
  


Charlie had been watching her like a hawk for changes to her diet signalling a change in her cycle, and it seemed today was the day. Suddenly Hermione couldn't stomach the meat set on the table for her, instead heading into the cold box and grabbing an apple, a nectarine, and a mango, all of which she proceeded to cut and devour. When she was finished, Charlie handed her a banana, having prepared for this change in her with extra fruit earlier in the week. Without a word she peeled it and munched a bit more slowly on it than the others, still consumed with her thoughts about her brother.

  
  


Harry, Sirius and Charlie were watching her with amusement, waiting for the realization to hit her. When it finally did, she gasped and whipped her head up. "I'm in the next part of my cycle!"

  
  


All three men burst into laughter at the shock in her face. "Well we did expect it soon." Charlie reminded her as he grabbed her peel and put it away. "Looks like you might be on a two-month cycle, but we'll see in two weeks if you end up moving onto grains. It might be a bit longer."

  
  


Hermione grimaced at the plate of bacon and sausages Harry had thoughtfully laid out for her. She appreciated the effort put in for her, but she moved them towards Charlie. "To think yesterday I would have happily devoured those. But today… today they make my stomach turn."

  
  


Harry was the one who cheekily piped up, "Welcome to my life, everything you eat makes my stomach turn." Hermione flicked an apple seed at him in retribution. Charlie tucked into the extra meat, happily munching away, while Hermione wondered just where it was all going. She swore the man had a hollow leg.

  
  


"Say, Kitten? When are you going to go back and conduct interviews with the other mates again? You're going to have to take one quite soon after this heat, right?"

  
  


The innocent question from Sirius set off a sharp spike of heat across Hermione's face. The reason she hadn't gone to interview any other mates was because Charlie's dracken couldn't handle it before they had been fully intimate. So far they had done everything but sex itself, and Hermione had planned on approaching Charlie about it tonight, but she didn't particularly want to explain this to Sirius.

  
  


"There has been… an extenuating circumstance that has made it so I cannot. But I plan to rectify it tonight."

  
  


If Charlie had been a dog, his ears would have been pricked and his tail would have wagged. He was clearly thrilled with this turn of events. If Hermione was honest with herself, she had been ready for this step in their relationship for quite awhile, but just hadn't been brave enough to ask. Breakfast continued as normal, and afterwards, Hermione drifted into her bedroom to do some straightening up. Clothes were spread from one end of the room to the other, along with shoes and other odds and ends. It was calming to focus on something so mundane. It seemed like the last month of her life had been caught up in her mating and her inheritance, and it was just now turning back once again to normal.

  
  


Hermione had curled up in her bedroom with one of her favourite childhood books to distract herself from thoughts of Neville, and it was curled up on her bed with ' _Charlotte's Web'_ that Harry found her a couple hours later. A happy smile split his face at the familiar sight of Hermione in her jammies reading the well-worn book. "Hey 'Mione?"

  
  


It took a second for Hermione to clue in that Harry was speaking to her, but he was used to this. She always took a moment to disengage from a book. When Hermione lowered the book, tucking her finger in her page, he continued. "I was considering doing some shopping today in muggle London, and Charlie says his dracken can handle you being out of his sight for a bit, how do you feel about maybe coming with me?"

  
  


It didn't take long for Hermione to decide. The majority of this last month had been spent in Grimmauld place and the Burrow. Nothing Hermione said could convince Charlie to go back to work until their mating was completed fully by a heat, and he, until now, had been unable to handle being separated from her. It was, frankly, getting more than a bit claustrophobic in here, and as much as Hermione loved the Weasleys, she needed a break. She bounded out of the bed, heading to her closet and pulling on a pair of jeans and a navy t-shirt, grabbing her go-to prepacked purse, a simple black tote. A black cardigan and black flats rounded out the look. Her hair was down and wild, and Hermione didn't bother to try and contain it, as it just took too much time.

  
  


Harry, anticipating just how anxious Hermione would be to leave, was already ready to go. Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him to the front door. "Let's go. Now."

  
  


Harry chuckled as he threw open the door, and they jogged down the path to the apparition point, with Hermione leading the way. They apparated to a small alleyway in London, and soon dug in deep to shopping. Hermione was on the hunt for pieces to add to the house her and Charlie were talking about starting the hunt for after she had chosen her next mate. Currently, Charlie had a few small things, but nothing to furnish a house, and Hermione had virtually nothing. Harry was on the prowl for some new formal wear pieces, finding that the social obligations he had as 'The Saviour of the Wizarding World' often required him to wear it. His one set of dress robes was getting quite worn, and he thought mixing it up with some muggle options would be wise, if only to expose some of the more stiff upper-lipped of wizarding society to them.

  
  


It took most of the afternoon to get their shopping done, but by the time they were finished, Harry had three handsome suits and other dress clothing pieces in a variety of complimentary colors for easy dressing. As Hermione put it to the shop girl, "Harry can't match basic colors on even a great day, so please make sure everything coordinates, so no matter what he grabs it'll work. We can't have the world thinking he's a color-blind toddler." Hermione, on the other hand, had found a couple of beautiful pieces at a vintage shop, a white king-sized bed frame that she suspected they would still have to alter with magic to fit all the mates. She had loved the beautiful scroll work on it, and couldn't leave without it. She had also found a couple pieces of art she loved at that same store, and all at reasonable prices, so they had come home with her as well.

  
  


When they got back to Grimmauld, Harry offered to take the pieces to Gringotts while she got dinner ready, which she readily agreed to. When she walked into the house though, it was clear something was different. The entire house smelled amazing for one, and two, the only light was flickering in the kitchen. Following the smell, she walked in to find the table set with what was clearly Charlie's adorable attempt at seduction. A bouquet of roses sat in the middle of the table, what she suspected was Mrs. Weasley's food was cooking on the stove, and candles lit the entire room, lending a soft and homey look to the entire set up. Charlie smiled a bit sheepishly as Hermione took it all in. "I know it's…"

  
  


"Beautiful. It's all beautiful." Hermione interrupted, walking over to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him down for a kiss.

  
  


"I was going to say 'cheesy', but beautiful works…" Charlie murmured against her lips, wrapping his arms around her and dragging her against his body. When she ground against him, he groaned and pulled away, "Wait. Mom gave clear instructions about how this food was to be cooked and served, and she told me if I screwed this up, I'd be no son of hers. So. Please sit, M'lady." He motioned to the table, and when Hermione moved to sit, pulled out her chair and tucked it under her bum when she sat.

  
  


With a flourish Charlie served the stuffed chicken breast that he had worked so hard on, along with a fresh fruit salad, grilled asparagus, and roast potatoes. Hermione wasn't particularly in the mood for the meat, but she nibbled at it as she ate far more of the vegetables than her mate. Conversation flowed easily and with laughter rang out across the room. When Charlie brought out the ugliest chocolate covered strawberries she had ever seen, she both laughed and kissed him, which led to the food being forgotten, and a very slow waltz to the bedroom.

  
  


It didn't occur to her until the next morning that Charlie had most definitely set up the whole night with her boys. She'd have to thank them later. Stretching a bit in bed, Hermione noticed she was a bit sore, but nothing she wouldn't expect after a night as active as hers had been. Planting a small kiss on Charlie's cheek, she crawled out of bed and into the tub, and it was there Charlie found her soaking out her aches.

  
  


"Good morning, Love. How're you feeling this morning?" Charlie had been particularly worried about hurting her, as drackens were larger than average humans, and instinct sometimes drove sex to be rougher than humans were typically used to as well.

  
  


"I'm feeling quite well, thank you." Hermione gave him a brilliant smile when he climbed into the tub with her. He was already reaching for the special shampoo that she used to keep her curls more under control. The barest amount was worked into her hair, followed by a rinse and nearly ungodly amounts of conditioner.

  
  


Hermione knew the moment that Sirius walked into the house, because he immediately yelled out. "Ok love birds! Playtime is over! Hey, Kitten! How's it feel to no longer be a virgin?" Hermione buried her face in Charlie's chest and groaned. Charlie just chuckled.

  
  


When they emerged from the bathroom, Hermione threw the handful of water she had been saving just for Sirius at him. He seemed to take this as a fair recompense for his questions. He spent the next two days teasing her mercilessly, but it all stopped when news came from the dracken counsel that the executions had been scheduled for the following day. The mood in the house was much more sedate that night, as the boys had been extended an invitation to attend as well. Both had chosen to go in support of Hermione, but neither was particularly looking forward to it. In contrast, Hermione and Charlie both struggled to contain the bloodlust that flooded their system at hearing that a judgment had been handed down. The boys chose to retire to bed early, which gave Hermione and Charlie plenty to time to work out the stress together.

  
  


 


End file.
